


Zombie Teeth: Til Death

by CynicalGamer



Series: Zombie Teeth AU [5]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombies, Angst, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:42:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 50
Words: 56,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalGamer/pseuds/CynicalGamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When three groups came together, it almost seemed things would be alright, but...<br/>Oh, how they were proven wrong.<br/>No one can be trusted and winter is fast approaching. People continue to be pushed over the edge and emotions run high.<br/>It seems the Rotten and bandits are the least of their problems.</p>
<p>(Zombie AU where very few of the survivors knew eachother prior to the apocalypse. You must read Zombie Hunter, Zombie Teeth, and RWBY Zombies before reading this for it to make sense.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Leaders

**Author's Note:**

> So I switched around some release dates, and instead of this starting in October, I switched it with The Lads vs The Cops: Reunion  
> So, hope you guys don't mind ;v;  
> I'm just still really inspired when it comes to this Zombie AU

Everyone had agreed on one thing: They needed some sleep.  
And so, without even knowing much about eachother, they all got comfortable and drifted off to a much needed sleep. Michael was first to wake in the morning, though. Next to him, keeping him warm, was Lindsay with her head on his shoulder. A faint smile crossed his face, enjoying the moment for just a bit. Still, there were things to take care of, and he needed to leave her, just for a bit. Ever so gently, he pulled away from her, resting her body against the wall instead of his own. She murmured something, but otherwise didn't stir much.

Quietly, Michael walked until he was in the center of the room. Bordering said room was all of the groups. Strangers, friends, possible threats. He glanced from one to another and frowned. It was a lot to handle, but he had to have faith that everyone here was, well...alright.  
With a small sigh, Michael made his way next to who he assumed was one of the leaders. He nudged the man with his foot, watching as he grumbled. "What?" Burnie sleepily glared, slowly sitting up. Michael smirked, leaving him to find the other guy, Monty.

Once again, he nudged the man with his foot, Burnie watching from a safe distance. Monty's eyes immediately opened, as if he was never sleeping. He raised an eyebrow, as if asking what the hell he wanted. Michael swallowed silently, crossing his arms. "We need to talk." He stated simply, already starting to walk away towards another room. Both Burnie and Monty followed, the former very reluctantly. Once they were a safe distance away from the others, Monty spoke up. "What exactly do we need to talk about?" He questioned rather quickly, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"A fucking shit ton. First off, we're all leaders and that--"  
"Wait, wait, wait! I'm...I don't think I'm a leader perse..." Burnie interrupted, staring down at his feet. Michael huffed in slight amusement before replying. "Sure seemed like you were yesterday. No one else in your group bothered to speak up..." It was rather logical, but Burnie still didn't have that much faith in himself. Gus or even Joel would've made great leaders. Heck, Matt could've taken over easily, what with his head on straight. Why would...or could anyway look up to him for guidance. After all, he left Brandon behind.  
"Anyway...we're all leaders, so that might cause some issues." Michael pointed out, glancing at Monty.

"True. However, I think as long as we don't try to select a leader, one will emerge." Once again, Monty spoke words of wisdom. Michael rolled his eyes, but decided to play along. Because, hey, why not humor the sap? "Kay, sure. Guess that, uh...solves issue number one." He muttered the second part, clearly not satisfied.  
"Then might I bring up the second issue? I think it should be known that I've lost two people." Monty started, evaluating the other's expressions. "One of them, I've been lucky enough to find again. So, if things get ugly around here, or if I see something I don't like, Lindsay is coming with me."  
"Like hell she is!" Michael instantly retorted.

"Guys, let's keep calm. Shouldn't we be, I dunno, optimistic? I mean fuck, we've barely met..." Burnie suggested, trying his best to keep the other two from fighting. Michael flipped him off without even shifting his eyes towards him. Monty just flat-out ignored him. "Orrr you can just be a bunch of assholes. That works, too."  
"Michael, I know you've grown close to Lindsay, but I'm not just going to give her up."  
"Who's to say you won't fucking lose her again? And it's more than just close, you dick munch!" Both Michael and Monty were firmly standing their ground, leaving Burnie to watch the madness.

"Fucking HELL! Shut up! Is this what it's always going to be like?!" Burnie snapped, finally getting the attention he asked for earlier. Michael scowled and Monty glared, both gazes equally as intense to receive. What had he gotten himself into?  
"Listen! We're a group now! Let's not automatically assume everything will go to shit! In my experience, if you think something is going to happen, it does. Now, calm the fuck down and let's be civil for ONE FUCKING SECOND!" Everything went silent and a tension hung above them all. Finally, it was broken by a single snarky comment.  
"And you said you weren't a leader."  
"Shut the fuck up, Michael."

With a sigh, Monty chose to admit defeat, though reluctant about it. "You have a point, Burnie. Alright, let's agree to strive for success. After all, I refuse to fail." The grin he gave was absolutely shit-eating. Michael grumbled about something, but it was assumed he was agreeing to the terms.  
"Whatever. Anyway, now I want to know what the fuck you guys are doing here." Michael forced the meeting to keep going, providing a new question. "My group was running from bandits."  
"We've just been going north."  
They both looked to Michael expectantly, Monty raising an eyebrow. "We thought that maybe we could get the plant working, between Ryan and I." Michael explained, not even sure they knew who Ryan was. Well, Monty probably did.

"Now that you're here, still think you can get it working?" Burnie leaned up against the wall, face very plain. He was interesting, how he could go from meek to angry to calm within a matter of minutes. Looking off to the side, Michael shrugged a shoulder. "We really didn't get a chance to look around at the wiring or controls. Since ya know, some assholes randomly showed up." Burnie flipped him off, getting back for previously being ignored. The ginger smirked and snorted. In all honesty, he really liked that Burnie guy. Monty, on the other hand, would take some getting used to. He was straight forward and a hard worker, a bit like Michael, but in that He's-a-better-version-of-me kinda way.

"...Sounds like the others are getting up..." Monty noted blandly. "Guess we should get back. They'll be fucking lost without us." Michael chuckled lowly, leading the way back to the main room.  
Lindsay immediately saw him and grinned, waving from where she sat with other people.


	2. The Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you guys be interested in me making a fanmix/soundtrack for the Zombie Teeth AU?  
> Cause I have like 13 songs that fit pretty well for the story uwu  
> It'd probably be released a long time from now, like chapter 30 or something???

Shortly after Michael left with Burnie and Monty, Lindsay stirred from her sleep. Blinking her eyes, she immediately noted Michael was gone and that Monty appeared to have left with him. Other than that, as far as she knew, everyone else was snoozing away happily. Sitting up, she scratched at her head and paused for a moment. She missed the warmth of Michael's body next to hers, but he obviously had something important to do and she didn't want to seem clingy by looking for him. She continued to stare down at her knees, until the sound of someone walking caught her attention. Tearing her gaze away from herself, she glanced up to see Kerry.

"Hey..." He whispered with a fond smile on his face. Lindsay waved up at him and he planted himself next to her against the wall. "When'd you wake up?" Kerry shrugged, looking around the room. "I dunno...whenever Michael, Monty, and that guy Ernie left. I think they're having some kinda leaders meeting or something."  
"I think his name was Burnie."  
"Whatever." Kerry chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I'm not the best with names. Anyway, yeah, I saw them leave. Then I saw you wake up, so I figured...maybe we could catch up." Lindsay nodded in reply, loving that idea a lot.

"Sooo...what's been happening in the group since I, uh...left?" She asked, shifting a bit until she was more comfortable. Kerry suddenly looked really solemn, fingers twitching nervously as he gathered his thoughts. How was he supposed to break the news to her? Kara's death, Barbara's freak-out, Arryn wanting to leave. That was a lot of shit to throw at a person all at once. Lindsay furrowed her eyebrows, watching the blonde closely. "Is it about Kara?" She muttered sadly. He immediately looked up at her, a bit shocked. "I...noticed she wasn't around. What...happened to her?" Kerry still didn't speak, too afraid to hear himself say it. Too afraid to feel the truth of what happened. Sometimes he liked to pretend Kara was still around.

"Barbara and Monty got in a fight...a really big one. Barbara almost shot him, but when she pulled the trigger, Kara tried to grab the gun and was shot in the foot. I...I tried to help...patched it up and we kept going, but..." He swallowed hard, tears welling in his eyes. Lindsay gently placed a hand on his knee and listened intently. "The herd of Rotten. They heard the shot and we, we had to run. Barbara held onto Kara and tried her best, but Kara knew she was slowly Barbara down. When I had turned around, I saw the two on the ground and...Kara gave me a look. I knew she wanted me to get Barbara away. So I did." Kerry drew his knees to his chest, a few stray tears slowly falling down his cheeks.

"You...left her?" Lindsay asked quietly, voice wavering and body shaking with the urge to cry. Kerry nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. It obviously pained him, but...Kara wanted that. Kara wanted Barbara safe. "It's alright...you did what you had to." Lindsay fought the tears as best she could, but a few escaped, and soon she was holding Kerry close to herself while he cried into her shoulder. After a few minutes, he gently pushed her away and just stared vacantly at the wall. "Monty and Barbara still refuse to talk. The group fell apart with you gone." Lindsay narrowed her eyes sadly, feeling a bit guilty for disappearing on them. In the corner of her eye, Lindsay noticed Gavin and Ray making their way over, Gavin still weak looking.

"Hey, Linds-- Wait. Are you alright?" Ray questioned, helping Gavin to sit down before he sat himself. She nodded briefly, a smile small spreading. "Yeah, just...catching up with Kerry. By the way, Kerry, this is Gavin and Ray." Kerry looked over and mustered up a smile and a wave. "Hello." Gavin said quietly, still probably tired. "Hey! Hope you guys don't mind us interrupting." Ray chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. Lindsay shook her head. "Nah, glad to have ya' guys. Gavin, you're looking better!" She noted, slightly pointing at him. He shrugged weakly, looking off to the side. "'M fine. Glad to have food again."  
"Just promise you won't be a fucking moron again." Ray jokingly glared, but smirked a bit. "No promises, mate!"

"So, Kerry. Any embarrassing stories about Lindsay?" Ray asked, grinning mischievously. Lindsay rolled her eyes and punched his arm. "Shut the fuck up, Ray."  
"Ow! I was just wondering!" He tried to defend himself, hand rubbing at his slightly sore arm. Kerry snorted, but refused to answer the question. Gavin was looking behind them, tilting his head a bit. "What's up, Gav?" Ray asked, noticing his odd behavior. He, too, glanced behind them and saw Matt sitting up and messing with a gun. "That guy...his name was Matt, right?" Ray muttered to himself before looking back at Kerry and Lindsay. They both shrugged.

Ray suddenly got up and Gavin frowned much like a child while the brunette went over to Matt. Looking up, Matt jumped slightly to see someone in front of him. Ray smiled slightly, giving a short, small wave. "Hey, uhh...Matt, right?"  
"Uh...yeah. Yeah, I'm Matt." It took a bit to collect himself and put his words together properly. "Can I...help you?" Ray shook his head no, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm Ray. We're, uh...just chatting over there." He jerked his thumb behind him, pointing to the others. "You can join us if you want? I mean, if we're going to be working together, then we should, you know, get to know eachother and shit." Matt smiled fondly in response, tucking away his gun. "That sounds great."

"Could you assholes shut the fuck up?" Gus grumbled angrily next to Matt, face first on the floor. Matt rolled his eyes and stood up. "Come on, Gus. Let's go meet the others." Matt gently poked the brunette's side with his foot. Gus practically growled, but got up anyway, glaring daggers at Matt. "Fucking dick." He spat, not even acknowledging the fact that Ray was still standing there. "Uh, don't mind Gus. He's kind of grouchy in the morning. And the afternoon. Anddd the night." Matt explained, chuckling nervously. Gus flipped him off.  
"Well okay then. Come on." Ray muttered in a hushed tone, leading Gus and Matt back to the small group.

"Hey guys, this is Matt and Gus." Ray introduced the strangers, glad to see how friendly Matt was when he waved and greeted everyone. Gus huffed and crossed his arms, but that was better than nothing. "And, uh, this is Gavin, Lindsay, and Kerry." The three muttered different greetings, all kind of skeptical of Gus. Once they all sat down and began talking, though, it all worked out pretty well.  
"Yeah, well, my dad never really forgave me. I mean that was his favorite fish." Ray laughed at his own story, everyone else joining in. "Dude, how did you even do that? I mean...you were only seven!" Kerry commented, still laughing. Ray shrugged meekly, looking off to the side.

Something felt right about all of this.  
And then Michael walked out.


	3. The Mourning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheee?  
> I dunno what to say heh  
> Oh! Uhhh, this will probably be around 50-60 chapters long? Hopefully  
> At LEAST it'll be 40  
> It's so long aaa

Michael grinned back at Lindsay, but soon turned to the other two leaders beside him. All around them, others were waking up, seeking the brief comfort of talking within their own groups. Only a few had wandered about and met with new people.  
"So, we'll probably need a group to go into town and get supplies, like tools and shit. Fucking power plant will need some work. We'll also want a group to set up a perimeter of sorts, ya know? Figure out if those bandit fuckers are nearby. Heck, they could clear out some Rotten nearby." Michael quickly suggested, watching as Monty took in all of the information. Burnie muttered something in agreement. "We should each pick someone for both groups." Monty added while staring down the ginger. It was a good idea, something Michael couldn't deny.

"First, let's get together a perimeter group. I'll choose first. Jack!" Michael called across the room. Jack's head jerked up and he looked a bit worried, but still, he made his way over. With a tensed up demeanor, he cleared his throat and stood before the leaders. "Really? Are you sure?" Monty squinted, getting out his sunglasses and putting them on. Michael rolled his eyes. Seriously, what a douche. "Jack's a people-person. If they run into bandits, they'll need him." He explained briefly, crossing his arms. Jack glanced from person, clearly confused.

"Well, alright." Monty looked over to his people and sighed. He wanted them to rest up, they deserved it, but...  
Well there was one person he felt didn't. "Barbara!" The blonde looked up and immediately glared. She turned to say something to Arryn and walked over, hands shoved in her pockets. "What?" Venom lined her voice and Burnie cringed slightly, but smiled nonetheless. "You're, uh, needed. For a patrol." He explained, noticing Monty avoiding looking at her. Her eyes flicked over to the brunette and she smiled very faintly. "I can do that."  
"Your choice, Burnie." Michael said from where he was standing.

"Oh, uh...Chris!" The still shaken boy glanced up, eyes wide. "Need ya' for a sec!" With obvious reluctance, Chris stood and found his way over, clasping one of his arms. Michael gave Burnie a look that said 'really?', but Burnie ignored it. "Alright, we need a perimeter set up. Patrol around the power plant and kill any Rotten. Look for signs of bandits and keep safe. We don't need to lose anymore people." Monty's words hit the three survivors like a hammer to the chest. Jack nervously chewed on his lower lip, having thought about Geoff again. It hurt much like a dull pain, like a bruise that never quite healed. Barbara just glared off to the side, ready to get the hell out of there and away from Monty.  
"Understood? Then get a move on." Monty sent them off rather quickly, already discussing the group to go into town.

Barbara, huffing in annoyance, led the other two out, heading north once they were out of the building. It was a couple of minutes of silence before anyone talked. "Uh, so...Barbara, right? I've heard you're good with Rotten." Jack commented, clearing his throat when she didn't immediately respond. She turned and looked at him with a small smirk. "I guess. Lindsay tell you that?" He nodded. "Well, whether or not I'm good with them, I'm still the best with them out of my team...or I guess, my 'old' team." She chuckled slightly, running a hand through her hair. "I'm going to have to get used to that. We're just one big fuckinb happy team, huh?" Jack furrowed his brows, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Guess you could say that. You didn't seem that keen on Monty, though." Jack noted, watching as Barbara completely changed.

Suddenly, her irritation was very visible. "That bastard's the reason I lost Kara." She muttered bitterly, shoving a low branch out of her way as they passed a tree. "I'm sorry. What happened?" He asked quietly, not wanting to upset her further. "He started an argument and next thing you know, Kara's foot is shot and a herd is heading towards us. She...didn't make it." Barbara harshly chewed on the inside of her cheek, holding back both her anger and sadness. There was no way she was just going to break down infront of two guys she hardly knew. Another silence fell over them and Jack couldn't help but feel guilty for it.

That is, until a couple of Rotten come around the corner. Barbara reacted quickly, kicking one over and stabbing it straight through the eye socket. Jack on the other hand panicked, falling backwards. "Shit!" He gasped, holding the Rotten off with just one foot. Chris came up from behind and kicked it square in the jaw. The undead fell over, but tried to get up again, so Chris stomped on it, grunting as he did so. Jack breathed heavily, still on the ground. With a sigh, Barbara came up in front of his and extended her hand. "No wonder you wanted to know if I was good with them..." She smirked, but Jack didn't respond at all as he was helped up.

Turning to Chris, he mumbled a thanks and kept moving, carefully stepping over the dead bodies. "Woah, wait up! What's got you so freaked about them?" Barbara chased after him. "I've just...lost too many people to Rotten..." He explained, shrugging weakly.  
"How many?" Barbara's voice was suddenly soft, eyes full of sympathy. Jack avoided her eyes, staring straight ahead, his shoulders tensed. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, it was just...he couldn't stand reliving the memories. Everything seemed to happen so quickly, next thing he knew, everyone he loved was dead and gone. Everyone died eventually. "Jack?"  
"Two. Two people."

There was a pause in there conversation, until very meekly, Barbara spoke again. "Who were they?" Jack hesitated to answer, but knew he had to let it out eventually. So, with a deep breath and eyes fixed ahead, he began to talk. "First was my girlfriend, Caiti. The first day. Imagine that, losing the love of your life and watching them become...become an absolute monster. I...I didn't understand, I wasn't strong enough...I lost her, but I couldn't help her. She...I left her a Rotten!" Jack's voice raised for the first time in quite awhile. He was so fucking pissed at himself he could just tear apart a person limb by limb. "Then...our old leader...Geoff."  
"Old leader?"  
"Michael wasn't in charge by choice. None of us wanted to lead after Geoff...died."

"It was two months ago. I think it was me, him, Michael, and uhh...Ryan. Yeah. Went to a Target and shit really went down. Geoff started freaking out about his dead wife and kid and then Rotten showed up and we were split and it was just me and him. I wasn't...I...I fucked up...he was bit and I watched him start to die right before my eyes. Sometimes..." Jack inhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. His voice started to crack. "It's so hard saying goodbye. It's so hard watching them give up when you know they're right. It's so hard pulling that fucking trigger and everything goes by so FUCKING slowly! Every part of them is gone and I...I know it's my fault! But the group...we had to keep going. So here I am. But I don't want to keep going. Rotten have taken so much from me, I can't stand getting close."

Barbara nodded, understanding now. "Don't worry, Jack. I'll never let anyone die. I promise." She gazed into his eyes, trying desperately to have him believe her. He sighed heavily, but nodded a short, small nod.  
"Ahem..." Both Jack and Barbara turned to see Chris nervously staring at them. "I, uh...I think I saw your friend Geoff. I was at the target not long ago. Me and Brandon." He explained quietly, fingers playing with a loose thread on his jeans. "Who's Brandon?" Barbara questioned, stopping in her tracks. Jack slowed down, too, listening closely.  
"You wouldn't know him. I just lost him yesterday. Bandits." His explanation was very brief and he looked completely ruined just saying that much.

"I really miss him..."  
"...We all miss them..." Barbara muttered quietly. "Why do the strong die just for the weak to suffer alone?"


	4. The Longing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the story is moving really slowly  
> I'm taking my time having fun mixing people around and such uwu

Michael watched as the patrol group left, Barbara looking particularly pissed off. "What the fuck is up between you and her?" He asked harshly, raising a single eyebrow. Monty huffed in discontentment, eyes unreadable behind his shades. "She has...an attitude. I don't want to deal with it. Anyway, the next group?" Turning, he looked expectantly at Michael. The ginger stared him down a moment before returning to what needed to be done. "Ryan!" Across the room, the biochemist glanced up. Behind his usual apathetic stare, there was just a hint of resentment. A seed of anger planted in his mind. Still, the blonde stood and came over, completely civil. "Yeah?"

"Hang on a sec. Monty, your choice." The brunette hummed in response, scouting out his options. "I have someone in mind, but I doubt his girlfriend would let him go alone." Michael groaned in frustration, but didn't argue. "Alright, fine, whatever. Just hurry the fuck up."  
"Miles. Arryn! I need you for something!" Arryn lifted her head up from Miles' shoulder and frowned. The two shared a few words before Miles stood and helped her up. He seemed to whisper something in her ear and she reacted rather bitterly, rolling her eyes. Monty could only wonder what they were talking about.  
"What's up?" Miles' usually chipper voice made the others smile slightly. Always nice to have someone like that.

There was no answer given, so Miles just glanced at Ryan for something, anything, but got nothing. "...Joel!" Burnie didn't wait to be told, just picked. He knew if he was going to get any respect, he had to act like the leader he somehow had become. Joel slowly sauntered over, grining a bit like an idiot. Then again, that's kind of what he was. "Hey, boss man. What's up?" He winked and Burnie rolled his eyes. Seriously, what was this guy's deal?  
"Alright. You four are going to town to get some tools. Ryan, you know what the fuck to look for, right?" The man nodded briefly in response to Michael. "Good. If you see anything else useful, bring it back here. See any weird fuckers out there, don't try and start shit, just get out of there." Michael instructed, squinting his eyes. He looked over the group to be sure they had been listening, and for the most part, that appeared to be the case.

"Alright. We'll be back later." Ryan motioned for the others to follow him and started walking towards the exit. "Don't die with us gone." Arryn teased, following close behind the others. Joel chuckled at her, but kept his comments to himself.  
For the most part, the trip to town was incredibly quiet. Miles and Arryn were the only ones to talk from time to time, but Joel kept silent, much like Ryan. In fact, the biochemist was so focused, he hardly noticed the others were there. Taking a sharp left, Ryan ducked into an old appliance store and picked up a wrench just in case. Rotten could spring out of nowhere and he was not going to get bit.

"So...Ryan? What exactly ARE we looking for?" Joel asked as he leaned against the front counter of the store. Ryan shifted his gaze to the man in the hoodie and raised an eyebrow. "Anything, really. Screwdrivers, drills, nails, electrical wiring, and things of that nature. We want to get the power plant working again if we can." Ryan explained, grabbing a few bundles of wiring. Joel stood up straight and walked around the counter, eyes never leaving Ryan. He hummed in thought, hands finding their way into his pockets.

"You were alone for awhile, huh?" Joel suddenly inquires, now leaning against a shelf. Ryan chuckled half-heartedly. "That obvious, huh?" A case of nails and screws were shoved impatiently into his pockets and he stood, facing Joel. "You have that look of someone who hasn't been around people much. I spent a lot of time alone, personally, so...yeah." The taller man shrugged weakly, but smiled all the same. "In some ways, that's a better way of doing it. After all, you see a bit less death compared to the others." Ryan pointed out, handing a battery powered drill to Joel.

"Not really. You see just as much death, just...it means less to you." Miles suddenly said, searching on another shelf. Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Elaborate?" Miles stilled and thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it. "Well...death's kinda all around us right now. People are dead, but we never knew them. We all experience the same amount of death, just some hurts more. Neither of you had to lose someone important on your first days. But, you still saw lots of people dying. During those first few days, The Panic...everyone saw death." The room fell silent and Aryyn stared solemnly at Miles.

"Lots of people lost everything...maybe you are lucky, but...at the same time, it's kind of sad." She added, lazily grabbing some more wires from a shelf. "Yeah. I guess I see your point, but still. I like how I can appreciate people a lot more now." Joel smiled, wandering off toward another part of the store. Ryan sighed, choosing not to respond. "You really didn't lose anyone important, did you?" Miles' footsteps could be heard behind the blonde. With only a slight pause, he stood and faced the couple.  
"I lost my dog. I lost my family, without saying goodbye, even. I lost all my co-workers. I lost everything, and just as much as you did. Probably more, considering you have your girlfriend ten feet away and ALIVE."

Ryan inhaled sharply, turning to walk away, but stopping to see Miles and Arryn staring at him. "You like to make it sound like everything was worse for you, being surrounded by your loved ones until they died. Think about it, though. You could say goodbye. YOU spent their last moments with them. I haven't spoken to my family since Christmas. I never knew what happened, I'll never know." Miles flinched at that last part, feeling guilt wash over him as Ryan spoke. "This world is a pile of shit and everything hurts. Everyone hurts. Maybe not all in the same way, but I bleed just as much as you. So shut the fuck up about who hurts more and get some god damn supplies."


	5. The Power Plant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE GOOD  
> HEHEH  
> This week was pretty terrible, I'm going to write junk non-stop uwu

It wasn't long after that everyone regrouped back at the power plant. Barbara glared Monty down as she walked in, Jack not far behind her. Chris quickly shuffled off to the corner of the room, leaving the other two to talk to the leaders. As they made their way over, Monty left, choosing to check up on Miles and Arryn. Rolling her eyes, Barbara stood infront of Burnie and Michael, arms crossed. Michael glanced inbetween the two with an eyebrow raised, but didn't think it was necessary to intervene. They obviously had issues and he really didn't want to deal with them. "So...how's the perimeter?" Burnie asked, smiling brightly.

"Seems alright. Only a couple of Rotten were around and there were no signs of other people." Barbara explained, relaxing slowly but surely. "We went out pretty far, I think we're fine here." Jack added. Squinting his eyes, Michael noted how calm Jack looked, no nervous movement or speaking. There was something...pleasant about him, like a stress was lifted. Whatever it was that happened, it certainly was a welcome sight. As long as Michael knew him, he was a nervous-wreck, always triple-checking and over thinking.  
"Good work. You guys should rest up, we'll be working pretty fucking hard soon, so...just get to know people. We're kinda stuck together." Michael said, waving them off. Jack muttered something and Barbara nodded before both of them left.

With a sigh, Michael looked at Burnie, frowning only slightly. "I guess Ryan and I will get working on the wiring..." He mumbled, glancing to the side. Burnie gave a single nod. He didn't know what to say, so that seemed enough to him. "You get some rest, too...Later, Burns." Michael walked off, heading towards Ryan. "Yeah..." He didn't reply much, just stood there, staring off into space. A lot was happening and he felt rather drained. It was probably a good idea to rest up after all.  
So he made his way to an open spot against the wall and leaned his head back. There was only hushed murmurs surrounding him, his group and the others talking. It was nice having everyone together like this. Somehow it felt right, survivors all gathered together in a civil and cooperative manner.

Michael nodded towards Ryan, getting his attention. The biochemist waved back and stood, finishing up something he was saying to Joel. Once done, he came over and stared the ginger down. "Let's go." Michael began to head to the main operating room, Ryan following at a fair distance. As soon as the two were in the room, Michael grabbed a screwdriver they scavenged and unscrewed a panel, revealing a mess of wires, some ripped, others fine. "Hm." He hummed to himself. Ryan stepped closer and kneeled down, looking in. "Someone actually sabotaged it..." He whispered, leaning in closer.  
"Why the fuck would someone do that?" Michael asked. Ryan weakly shrugged in response.

"Guess that doesn't matter, does it? But, fuck...this might be harder than we thought." The ginger reached in and carefully pulled out a few of the detached wires, inspecting them. "This will probably take a few days..." Ryan estimated, eyes scanning everything. Michael snorted quietly and sarcastically. "No fucking shit, genious...let's just get it done, alright?"  
"Sure. Hand me the screwdriver?"

A couple hours later as the sun began to set, Michael and Ryan emerged. Everyone looked up immediately. "Wow, uh, okay...hey guys." Michael started, clearing his throat. "So, looks like someone fucking ripped out some of the wiring and beyond that, there's a shit ton of damage to a lot of the operating system. Buttons completely removed and huge dents in all kinds of shit. And that's just the first thing we need to fix..." He sighed out of frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's a lot of work, but electricity would be helpful for a number of things. We can hopefully repair everything soon, but no promises. Michael and I aren't experts, exactly." Ryan finished, hands folded behind his back in a professional manner.

Immediately, people began to whisper to eachother, some of them loud enough for Michael to hear.  
"No promises? Yeah, right. Fuckers ain't got a clue."  
"Shut up, they'll get it, I'm sure."  
"Soon? I hope they're not wrong..."  
"Electricity? Why are we focusing on that?"  
"Who's the tall one again?"  
"That's Ryan."

"It's getting late. Get some sleep, we'll get working again tomorrow." Michael finally said, not wanting to listen anymore. Ryan patted him on the shoulder and wandered off, leaving him alone. For a moment, he watched, the three separate groups no longer that. Kerry, Lindsay, Gavin, Ray, Matt, and Gus all spoke as if lifelong friends. Jack, Barbara, and Chris seemed to be doing pretty well. Ryan, Joel, and Burnie even were all right. Strange how it all fitted together, so natural. He smiled to himself, removing his beanie and running a hand through his hair. This wasn't so bad, as long as they all remained level-headed and civil. Still, that could be considered a lot to ask of them.

Ryan seemed tense around both Michael and Miles, as if upset with them. Barbara and Monty very clearly didn't trust eachother. These were factors that needed to be taken into account. However, it was difficult to attempt to fix the issues if no one ever talked about them. Even in the apocalypse, they held onto their stubbornness and shut their lips, leaving him in the dark.  
"Hey, uh, Michael?" He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Jack. "Yeah?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Here." Jack handed him a medium sized spiral notebook, a pencil shoved into the spiraling. "What's this for?"  
"I figured...a journal of our life as survivors could be...well..." He trailed off, rubbing at the back of his neck. "If this mess clears up, documentation is kinda important..."

Michael stared down at the notebook thoughtfully.  
"Yeah...you're right."


	6. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are just some things I'm really bad at writing  
> Yeah.../sigh/

As the next day started, everyone woke up around the same time, already talking to eachother contently. It seemed as if things could really work out, even with the three groups coming together. Though, really, they shouldn't think about it like that anymore. It was one group, full of many different people with different backgrounds. Together, perhaps, they could survive this shit and make a new world for themselves.  
Barbara certainly wanted to believe that, thinking and sitting beside Jack. Her eyes were trained ahead, watching the other's merrily perform tedious tasks. She knew soon Michael would be out and assigning people jobs. He was a good leader, so she couldn't complain much.

"Barbara? You alright? Hello?" Jack snapped his fingers infront of her face, finally getting her attention. She shook her head and muttered an apology shyly. The bearded man merely chuckled and rolled his eyes. "You're really out of it, huh? What's bothering you?" With a sigh, Barbara shrugged weakly. "Nothing. It's just..." Her voice trailed off and she was staring ahead again.  
"Just what?" Jack prompted her further. "Just...everything is working out so far. Kinda not use to it, you know? Everything got worse and now it's all good? Seems odd to me." She explained, glancing at Michael, who had just appeared.

"Look who finally showed up. Wonder what he's got to say." Jack said in a hushed voice. "Maybe if you shut up, you'd find out." Barbara teased, lightly poking him in the arm. He chuckled deeply and shook his head. Everyone had quieted, waiting to hear what the ginger had to say.  
"Alright everyone. Ryan and I are still working our asses off on the wiring, so there's not that much to do. Still, it'd probably be smart to send a group out to town to get some shit. Nothing in specific, just whatever the fuck seems good to grab. Burnie, Gavin, and Kerry? You guys mind?" His fierce brown eyes shifted between the three men, waiting for a response. Gavin nodded and Kerry gave a thumbs up. Burnie muttered something and nodded, so he was probably okay with it.

"Cool. Get your stuff together and get your asses moving. Can't waste time." Monty, from across the room, rolled his eyes at Michael's words. However, no one noticed since he was wearing his sunglasses. It wasn't unknown that he hated wasting time and figured that if anyone was resting, than time was being wasted. Still, he kept his mouth shut and observed, simply choosing to be on the sidelines. It was easier that way, after all.  
Michael had walked over to the entrance of the power plant, leaning against the door and watching the three go get their stuff.

"Michael's competent and all, but I'm not sure why he's having us wait so much..." Jack whispered loud enough for only Barbara to hear. The blonde shrugged, tilting her head. "From what you've told me about him, it makes sense. I mean, he's been pushing you guys around and well...I think he knows that's not how to keep people alive. He's scared and just figuring shit out." Barbara stared at the leader while speaking, reading his expression carefully. Jack hummed in thought, crossing his arms. "I guess you're right. Still...it's a bit out of character. Michael is a stubborn asshole when he wants to be, which is pretty much always." Barbara giggled, but shook her head.  
"I think you don't give him enough credit. He's human, Jack. Humans get scared."

It was then that suddenly something caught everyone's attention.  
A scream of anger.  
Turning his head to see, Michael nearly froze. It was most certainly not everyday that one would see Burnie as furious as he was. Gavin was being held up by his shirt, nearly six inches off the ground as Burnie looked ready to strangle him. "WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE THAT?!" He screamed, slamming the Brit into the wall. Gavin grunted in the pain, scrambling to try and get free. "H-have what?!" He tried to be loud, but his voice cracked and he couldn't stop shaking. "HER FUCKING CROSSBOW, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!" Burnie then threw him against the wall, finally releasing the grip on his shirt. Gavin flailed a bit, trying to stand up, but suddenly a sharp pain flashed through his body as Burnie kicked him in the side.

"FUCKING ASSHOLE! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE IT?!" Gavin didn't respond, just coughed a little. "FUCKING ANSWER ME!" Burnie kicked him again, but suddenly Ray intervened, tackling the older man to the ground. "Leave him the FUCK alone!" He screamed, delivering a fierce punch to Burnie's face. He cringed in pain, but easily threw the Puerto Rican off of him. "FUCK OFF! THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU!"  
Ray shakily got up again, staring Burnie down. "Yeah?! Well you're FUCKING BEATING UP GAVIN! THAT MAKES IT ABOUT ME!" He retorted, spitting slightly. Gavin was now on his feet, hand against the wall to support himself. Burnie shook with rage, fists and teeth clenched painfully.

"JUST FUCK OFF!"  
"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU STOP BEING A FUCKING DICK! JUST CALM DOWN!" Ray was ready to fight back, though he was certain that Burnie could easily take him. A tear fell from Burnie's face and he slowly shook his head, chest moving up and down. Ray watched him closely, waiting for him to make a move. "YOU...You don't understand!" The older man's voice was weaker now, cracking as he fought back tears. "I fucking loved her! I just...I wanted her to rest...to rest in peace like she deserved..." Burnie swallowed, eyebrows furrowing now in remorse instead of anger.

_Burnie gently set her down, sniffling as he watched her mostly limp body lean against the tree. Kathleen coughed a few times snd breathed heavily, her eyes half-lidded. "This is...perfect...thank you, Burnie..." Her voice was so quiet, he could barely understand her. Burnie nodded slowly and kneeled down, handing her her crossbow. Kathleen took it and placed it beside her, letting her head fall back. Her smile was small as she watched the leaves blow in the wind. "Kath...what...what can I do to help?" Burnie asked quietly, as if worrying any louder could break everything._  
 _"Don't...let me turn..."_

_The next swallow was difficult, feeling like he was swallowing a rock. Still, he managed a nod, blinking away a few tears. "Sweetheart, don't...cry...just...goodbye...I'll miss...you..." Kathleen closed her eyes. She was still breathing and Burnie knew they were running out of time. "Kathleen? I wanted to say...I...I love---" It was too late. She stopped breathing and the silence enveloped Burnie. "Fuck...I love you..." He rested his forehead to hers, eyes closing and hand inching towards his gun._

Burnie collapsed to the ground infront of Ray, sobbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fighting is hard to write omygosh  
> This was terrible sorry


	7. Mess We Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because there was too much happy times  
> I needed more things to be high tension u-u  
> (I just want to be able to write the next chapter. WARNING: NEW SURVIVOR AAA)

"Are you sure he can't get out?"  
"Ryan. I locked the door. We'll just let him calm the fuck down for a bit." Michael slipped the key into his pocket, already walking away. Ryan glanced behind him and for a brief moment worried about Burnie being by himself. "Shouldn't someone watch him?" He asked, now following the ginger. Michael shrugged, remaining surprisingly calm. "I dunno. I think it'll be fine if we just leave him. We'll have someone check on him in a little while, okay?" With a sigh, the biochemist gave in, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Fine. That works. But who will we send?"  
"Ryan, would you relax and stop asking so many fucking questions?"

The two reentered the main room, everyone glancing up at them. Michael's eyes landed on Gavin and Ray in the corner, Ray treating the Brit's wounds. "Stop squirming, Gav." Ray scolded, trying to clean up some blood on the back of Gavin's head. He whined pitifully, but stopped moving so much, just wanting to get it done with. Ray rolled his eyes, but chuckled, wrapping a bandage around Gavin's head. "Why is it you're always getting hurt? I swear, you're bad luck..." Gavin chuckled at Ray, not bothering to respond. It was true, he was often hurt or injured. Still, not like he minded, since Ray would always offer to take care of him.

"Seriously, dumbass. Stop getting your ass hurt, I'd like it if you sticked around a bit longer." Ray suddenly sounded serious, beside his joking wording. Gavin tensed and leaned back a bit, the back of his head against Ray's chest. The brunette furrowed his brows and almost pushed him away, but decided to let it go.  
It certainly wasn't the worse thing in the world. "'M sorry, Ray. I keep messing up." Gavin whispered, closing his eyes. Ray sighed, gently petting Gavin's hair. "Shut up, Gav. You don't have anything to be sorry for. Just..." Another quiet sigh. "Just get some rest."

Michael stopped watching them and walked off, muttering a goodbye to Ryan. He headed straight for Lindsay, who was talking to Miles and Kerry. When she saw him, her entire face lit up and she met him halfway for a tight hug. Michael smiled, feeling her smile against his shoulder. "Hey." He whispered, holding her close. "Hey, bitch." Lindsay replied, earning a laugh from Michael. He shook his head, finally pulling away from her. "So...Burnie?" She asked quietly, concern filling her face. "We locked him up for right now. Just until he calms the fuck down. Can't have him going around punching the fucking shit out of people." Michael explained, staring down at the ground.

He felt bad for what happened, but he knew it was for the good of the group. Burnie was obviously unstable right now and needed a breather until he could think straight again. Still, how long could that take? Everyone was either really concerned about the situation or pissed off about Michael's choice. There was no inbetween and everyone was on his case about how slow he was to react.  
"Sweetie? Are you alright?" Lindsay asked quietly, face close enough to his that they were forced to make eye contact. Michael nodded very slightly, still a bit lost in his own thoughts. "Yeah. Just a bit out of it."

"Hey, Joel!" Ryan called out to the brunette, who was just watching everyone else scramble around. He glanced over at Ryan and smiled, giving a very small wave. "Sup, Mr. Scientist?" He greeted, receiving a low chuckle from Ryan. "Nothing much. Mind if I ask you about Burnie?" The blonde smiled warmly, hoping to keep the entire exchange very relaxed. "I figured either you or Michael would want to talk. Guess it's good it's you." Joel said, ending his statement with a sly smirk. "Yes, well. Do you think we'll be able to let him out soon? I mean...has this happened before?" Ryan got straight to the point, leaning the side of his body against the wall.

"Something kinda like this happened, but...I mean, he kicked a tree's butt instead of a persons. Still, I hadn't seen him that angry before." Joel tapped at his chin in overdramatic thought. A part of Ryan really wanted to roll his eyes. "What made him act like that before?" He asked quickly, trying to keep the process quick. "Well, that was when we passed Kathleen's body. He noticed the crossbow was missing and flipped the fuck out. We just let him and then moved on." Joel explained, eyes narrowing as he spoke. "...What's so important about that crossbow?" Ryan mused out loud, gaze shifting to the side. Joel shrugged half-heartedly. "My guess is that it reminds him of Kathleen. I mean, apparently he loved her, so...he wants it safe."

Barbara took slow steps towards Gavin's things, eyeing them. She kneeled down and inspected the crossbow, reaching for it carefully. "What. Are you doing?" Monty asked behind her, startling her slightly. "Fucking hell! What do you want?!" Barbara spat at him, standing and facing the brunette. Monty crossed his arms and looked down at the crossbow. "I asked what you were doing. You shouldn't be going through other survivor's stuff." His voice was stern and demanding, every part of it irritating Barbara.  
"Just fuck off, Monty. I'm just looking, alright? I want to know what has Burnie so worked up." She turned to keep looking, but Monty grabbed her wrist tightly and forced her to stay where she was.

"You will not disrespect me. I've kept you alive all this time." Barbara nearly lost it when he said that, but managed to keep her cool. "Yeah? Well the only reason your alive is because of Kara."  
"I would gladly trade you for her any day." Barbara rolled her eyes and yanked her wrist from Monty's grip. "That doesn't fucking matter! She's dead, Monty. It's your fault." Monty laughed through his nose, a smug smile now formed on his face. "No, Barbara. It's your fault. You shot the gun. You left her behind. You watched her SCREAM in pain. Watched as she was torn apart and didn't help at all."

Now she had lost it.  
Barbara went to lunge for him, but Gavin gripped her shoulder and caused her to stop all at once. Turning around, she made eye contact with him, his hair disheveled and a bandage firmly wrapped around his head. He didn't say anything, but instead smiled shyly, glancing away every so often. "Uh...Gavin, right? What's up?" Barbara asked softly, unaware that Monty had already left.  
"You wanted to...look at the crossbow, right?"  
"Uh...yeah."  
"Go ahead, then, you pleb." He teased lightly, removing his hand. Barbara giggled, leaning down to pick up the weapon. For some reason, all the anger vanished all at once and she felt content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love experimenting with different friendships and stuff  
> I will do a lot of that, heh  
> Sorry this chapter kinda sucked??


	8. Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAA  
> I'm excited for this

As the next day began, Arryn opened her eyes and listened to the quiet surrounding her. With Miles' arm wrapped around her, she felt warm and safe, enjoying the momentary peace. Breathing in, she closed her eyes once more and stayed still. A sudden loud sound caused her to jump and Miles stirred from his sleep. Many others woke and looked to eachother with slightly bewildered expressions. "What...was that?" Miles muttered sleepily, sitting up very slightly. "Thunder..." Arryn breathed, gently pulling away from her boyfriend. She stood and took slow steps towards the entrance of the power plant.

Sure enough, as Arryn stood beneath the small awning above the door, rain fell all around her. She inhaled deeply and grinned. "Rain! Miles! It's rain!" Miles soon followed after her and sported the same wide grin. "Woah...we might end up floating away...that's a lot of rain!" He joked, earning a light punch to the arm and a chuckle. "Yeah, that's what we care about." Arryn rolled her eyes, still smiling. "We should get something to catch the water. I mean, it's clean, right?" Miles pointed out, staring with unblinking eyes. Arryn nodded, already turning to go back inside.

Some of the other survivors wandered over, a few stepping outside, but a majority huddling inside and staring out to the precipitation. It had been a long time since they got rain in Texas. It only felt longer still, considering the events they had gone through these past four or five months. For the first time in the last two days, they all felt relaxed, just watching the rain fall and splash down on the ground. The dirt was already mud and the concrete turned a much darker grey than usual. No insects made noise, all probably hiding away until the storm passed.  
Barbara took a few hesitant steps out directly into the rain, a small smile finding it's way onto her face. She giggled and spread out her arms, already getting soaked.

"Don't catch a cold!" Jack teased from the safety of the awning. Barbara stuck her tongue out at him, but ended up laughing and failing completely. Jack chuckled deeply, crossing his arms. "Excuuusee us, pardon us, sorry!" Arryn and Miles made their way through the crowd, both with large bucket in their arms. Carefully, the two placed them under the rain, getting their arms drenched. "Ah!" Arryn squeaked, pulling back. "It's cold!" She giggled, standing just a bit away from it. Miles slowly smirked as he got an idea.  
He wrapped his arms around Arryn's waist and lifted her, charging straight into the rain. Arryn squealed and laughed, struggling to get out of his grip.

"Miles Luna! Let me go! It's cold, holy shit!" He finally set her down and laughed as she retreated back to the awning, wet hair clinging to her forehead and neck. "What? Afraid of some rain?" He joked, grinning widely when Arryn flipped him off. Soon, Kerry found his way outside and Miles waved wildly at him.  
"Dude! It's fucking raining!" He cheered. "Really?" Kerry dead-panned, raising a single eyebrow. "Come out and join me!" Miles spun in a circle, spreading out his arms much like Barbara was. "I dunno man, dancing in the rain? Sounds pretty gay!" The blonde called back. "Totes homo! Arryn won't, so someone has to!"

It was then that Barbara noticed something in the distance. She moved aside her wet hair and squinted, seeing a figure not too far out. "What the..." She murmured to herself, taking a few steps forward. Jack noticed her odd behavior and braved the weather to walk up to her. "See something?" He asked quietly, arms crossed firmly over his chest. "Yeah...do you see that? Between those trees..." She asked, raising an arms up to point. "Uh, no...I can't see shit with my glasses covered in rain." He chuckled, trying to wipe them off. Barbara smiled and rolled her eyes, tapping him on the arm. "Come on, dork. Let's go check it out." Immediately, she headed off before Jack could protest.

The ginger followed behind her, the two of them receiving other's attention. No one tried to stop them, though.  
"What if it's a Rotten? Or a bandit?" Jack questioned, tensing up as they got closer. "What if it's not?" Barbara retorted, picking up the pace. The silhouette came closer and started to become clearer, definitely a human. With just a bit more walking, the stranger came into view, most certainly alive, and a young man. Barbara lifted her gun, glancing sideways at Jack. "Hey!" She called to the man, who turned and appeared quite scared. Quickly, he held up his hands and fully faced them, eyes switching between Barbara and Jack.

Jack looked closely, noting the man's appearance. He was somewhat muscular, at least most notably in his arms. A baseball cap was on his head and covering what seemed to be light brown hair. The shirt he had on was slightly torn and a brown backpack was slung over his shoulder. Any blood or dirt that might've been on him was probably washed away in the rain.  
"Who are you?" Jack asked, realizing Barbara wasn't going to. The man stuttered a bit, but quickly managed to form a coherent word or two. "C-Caleb!" He shivered in the cold rain, watching carefully. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jack and this is Barbara. Do you need help?" The bearded man took a few steps forward and signalled Barbara to put the gun down. She huffed in annoyance, but did so.

"...Yeah. I mean...I don't want to burden you guys, but...yeah." Caleb responded, eyes now casted down. "It's alright. We have a, uh...pretty nice sized group. Are you...alone?" The man nodded, hands now at his sides. "Well then...why don't you come with us?" Jack smiled, jerking a thumb towards the way back.  
Caleb nodded eagerly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New character and rain shenanigans  
> WOOHOO


	9. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they've only been together technically 3 days  
> And already a new person
> 
> Also, a lot of people want to know how Brandon is doing  
> I'M SORRY  
> YOU WON'T FIND OUT TIL CHAPTER 20 ;o;

"Wake the fuck up." Michael nudged his foot into Burnie's side, watching as the man shifted uncomfortably. Blinking awake, Burnie glanced up at the other leader and frowned. "Are you fucking calm now?" He asked harshly, to which Burnie just gave a small nod. With a sigh, Michael extended his hand and helped the brunette up, still staring him down. "Good. Don't lose your shit and beat up Gavin ever again. I'll fucking kill you next time." For a few moments, Michael glared into Burnie's eyes and gripped perhaps too tightly onto his wrist. Burnie remained silent and still, waiting for the moment when Michael would let go. Sure enough, he did, and turned to leave, the door swung completely open.

"It's raining, by the way." Michael muttered, then left, leaving Burnie to his own thoughts. With the tension gone, he sighed loudly and threaded his fingers in his hair. Michael was definitely an intimidating guy when he wanted to be. Still, he couldn't blame him. What Burnie had done was inexcusable and really awful. Biting the inside of his cheek, he noted to himself that he should definitely apologize to Gavin when he got the chance. Another sigh escaped him and he began to walk out of the small room. Talking to Gavin wasn't going to be fun, considering Ray would probably not want them anywhere near eachother. He was most certainly the overprotective boyfriend type.

"What the..." He suddenly breathed, seeing a stranger a just a dozen of feet infront of him. The stranger shifted uneasily, constantly looking around the room. He was nervous, but not overly so. Still, when his eyes landed on Burnie, they seemed to widen, but only for a second. "Hey. Kid. Eyes on me." Michael snapped his fingers a couple of inches from Caleb's face. He immediately turned towards the leader and frowned apologetically. "Sorry...what, uh...were you saying?" He tilted his head in question, trying not to anger Michael. He sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What. Are. You. Fucking. Doing. Here!" Caleb flinched in response.

"Jack and Barbara brought me here." Caleb answered innocently. Michael rolled his eyes. "Wow, no fucking shit. Seriously, dumbass. Why are you stomping through the woods like a fucking idiot?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest, waiting impatiently for an answer. "I was just walking. What? A guy can't take a stroll in the rain?" Caleb smirked cheekily, only frustrating Michael further. "A smart guy can't. Now, shut the fuck up and just! Ugh...Monty, talk to him please." The ginger angrily stomped off to the corner, Lindsay attempting to comfort him. Monty raised an eyebrow, but stepped forward, hands on his hips.

Behind his sunglasses, Monty examined every part of Caleb. "So, you have no group?" He started rather calmly. "Yeah. Lost them awhile back. It was...hard." He muttered quietly, eyes drifting down to the ground. Monty hummed in thought, now letting his arms fall to his side. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you want, and as long as you don't piss off Michael further, you can stay with us. We could always use new people." Monty smiled a very small smile. Caleb nodded and grinned, clearly excited for the offer. "Really? That's awesome! I promise, I'll do whatever I can to help!" Monty chuckled quietly.  
"Sounds alright to me. Barbara will give you a run down of our situation, so go ahead and find her."

Monty wandered off and went straight for Michael, talking to him in a hushed tone. The ginger rolled his eyes, but nodded along with what Monty was saying. Caleb stood awkwardly, suddenly very aware of the many eyes on him. This was definitely a weird day.  
Thunder echoed in the distance, rain still pouring outside. Caleb sighed, gripping his backpack tightly and tensing up his shoulders. He probably needed to find Barbara, wherever she ended up. Afterall, he had a lot of work to do.

Barbara giggled, lightly whacking Gavin on the shoulder. "You did not!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "I did! And then when I was home in bed, I felt really sick. I was like, oh I'm going to puke. So I crawled my way over to the toliet, because I knew where it was and I puked." Gavin was grinning, telling the story of when he ended up blind for a few days. Barbara was smiling, mouth opened, trying to not die of laughter. "Gross." She commented dryly. "Well, then I went back to bed and my bloody Father walked in and said, you know you puked ontop of the toliet, right?" Barbara doubled over, laughing violently. "Oh my god, Gav! That's fucking hilarious!"  
"Ahem." Ray suddenly walked over, clearing his throat in a very obvious way.

"Oh. Hey, Ray!" Barbara smiled fondly and waved, but soon frowned when Ray said nothing. "Uh...well then, this was top! I'll chat with ya' later, Barbs!" Gavin sheepishly muttered, heading off with Ray. They appeared to argue a bit, but Ray seemed to look sorry. Barbara chuckled, pretty sure Jack was right when he said something was going on with them.  
"Barbara?" Caleb's voice got her attention and she turned to him. He smiled weakly, one arm gripping the other. "Hey, Caleb. What's up?"  
"Oh! Uh, Monty said you'd catch me up on what's going on around here? I mean, if you don't mind." Though Barbara hated Monty and felt bitter at the mere mention of his name, she didn't mind helping Caleb out at all. He was nice, a bit shy right now, but probably alright for the most part.

And he was cute. Very cute.

"Sure, buddy. Well, uh...not much is going on I guess? We've only been together a couple of days or so. Used to be three separate groups. Burnie over there had a bit of a freak out, but he's fine now...and uhhhh....we're trying to get this power plant working so we'll have electricity." Barbara explained, thinking through it all. Caleb nodded along, eyes scanning the room. "Thanks. And what did Burnie freak about? He seems like a pretty chill guy." The brunette furrowed his eyebrows, hands now in his pockets. "Something about a dead girl's crossbow. I don't know, I don't understand him yet. Like I said, barely a few days since we all came together." Caleb nodded again.

"I hope you don't mind...but I'd like to hang around you some more...a-and Jack, too. Since, uh...you're the only guys I know and yeah." Caleb seemed to be blushing, rubbing the back of his neck. Barbara giggled cutely and smiled.  
"Yeah, that's fine."


	10. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Multiple meanings in this title uwu  
> So! I'm on break and that means  
> LOTS OF TIME TO WRITE  
> Expect updates at least every other day!

Michael's footsteps echoed as he approached Gus and Matt, a very stern expression across his face. The brunette scowled slightly, the other man tensing up. "You two. I have a job for you." Michael said quickly, stopping only a few feet away from them. Matt raised an eyebrow, hands being shoved in his pockets. "And, uh...what's that exactly?" He asked. Gus crossed his arms over his chest, deciding to just wait instead of opening his big mouth. "Just run into town and get some buckets or something. There's a few holes in the roof and we kind of need all the wiring to, ya know, not flood. Towels would be great, too." Michael explained, turning to leave.

"Wait! But it's raining!" Matt protested, the leader obviously choosing to ignore him. With a sigh he let his head drop. "Come on, you dick. It's just a bit of rain. Not like it'll fucking kill you." Gus teased, lightly punching Matt in the arm and slowly walking away. Though he wasn't overly fond of being sent out in the rain, he didn't have much room to complain. He and Gus hadn't left the power plant since they first arrived, so maybe some fresh air would be good. Matt finally gave in and followed Gus out of the large building.

It was still raining, but not nearly as heavily, only tapping against their heads as they treaded through the more wooded areas. Gus took lead, quick feet getting him to the town in no time. Matt stumbled behind him, always fifteen feet behind.  
"Jesus, wait up, asshole!" He called ahead, getting Gus' attention. The brunette smirked and flipped him off, not slowing down in the slightest. Matt let out a frustrated groan and struggled to pick up the pace. It was while he was walking that he began to think back. Quite early on, he remembered it was just him and Gus. Other people soon fit into the picture, but it was once just the two of them. He chuckled fondly at the memories.

_Gus grunted as he finally pushed the bookshelf up against the door. Matt smirked and rolled his eyes, grabbing an old phonebook and tossing it on the fire. "You know...you...could've...helped..." Gus panted out, hunched over with his hands on his knees. "Yeah, no thanks. I'd rather watch you do all the hard work." Matt retorted, sitting and opening a can of beans. The brunette flipped him off and made his way over, sitting down as well. "You're a dick, you know that?"_

_It was comfortable silence, Gus poking the fire every minute or so while Matt focused on properly heating up the beans. That was, until Gus broke it. "Matt?" He called very quietly. "Hm?" The blonde's eyes remained fixed on the can. "You're...not going to die, right?" Gus was unusually quiet, mindlessly playing with the remains of a burnt book. "I will eventually."_   
_"You know what I fucking mean! Jesus, you dick!" Gus snapped, actually breaking the stick he was holding. Matt sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "I can't say anything for sure. You've seen what it's like out there. I mean, of course I'll try and stay alive, but...there's always something that likes to prevent that."_

_"...you're still a dick."_   
_"Shut up and eat some fucking beans, Gus."_

Caleb followed behind Barbara contently, listening as she spoke about her life and experiences. He loved listening to her, watching her get so passionate and enthusiastic about everything. She certainly was full of life, unlike many others around there. "I guess getting a tattoo really wasn't the best idea. My mom FREAKED the fuck out and practically disowned me." Barbara joked, grinning widely. "But I was eighteen and my dad didn't give a shit. Go dad, amirite?" Caleb chuckled in response, hands in his pocket. "Do you still have it?" He asked shyly, avoiding eye contact for a brief moment. "Yup. Though it's not somewhere you'd see it." She winked playfully and Caleb's face turned red.

This girl might be the death of him yet. "What about you?" Barbara smiled at him, stopping and leaning against the wall. They had wandered off and away from the others, exploring more of the building. "Uh, trust me. No tattoo's." Caleb said meekly, looking off to the side again. Barbara laughed and shook her head. "No, you dork! I meant have you done anything rebellious?" Caleb formed his mouth in an 'o' shape and thought. "Not really. I guess I was a pretty good kid? I mean, I snuck out a couple of times, but the worst stuff I did was in college." He chuckled nervously, thinking back.

"Ooh! Tell me more!" Barbara poked his arm, clearly excited to hear. Caleb shrugged and rubbed at his neck sheepishly. "It's, uh, really not that interesting to hear." He swore, rocking on his heels. "Lies. Tell me about college!" Barbara narrowed her eyes at him, but smirked all the same. There was no way he could've continued to deny her what she wanted. With a sigh, he admitted defeat, choosing to lean against the wall as well.  
"I had this friend I met the first day. Ben King. Talk about a riot and a half."

"He was a funny guy. British accent and gangly limbs. We used to go to parties and get wasted, sleep around with girls, and drive around like fucking morons." Caleb laughed and took off his hat to run his fingers through his hair. "Did some shit I never should have. Like this one time, we we're drunk and walked to the closest Wal-Mart, which really wasn't that far. After thoroughly making huge asses of ourselves, Ben ended up peeing on some poor women's car and then we ran like hell when she threatened to call the cops." Barbara was nearly in tears with laughter, holding her stomach. Caleb laughed with her and grinned.

Matt and Gus managed to find a few things, shoving as much as they could in Matt's backpack. "Alright, let's get out of here." Gus suggested, heading out of the building and towards the direction he assumed the power plant was in. With a roll of his eyes, Matt tried to catch up, barely able to see Gus through the rain. His clothes clung to his skin and along with all the shit he was caring, he definitely felt weighed down. Still, he found an amazing burst of energy at one point.  
When he heard Gus scream.  
Matt ran as fast as he could, coming to a steep cliff. As he looked over the edge, he saw Gus on the ground below, bleeding from somewhere. "Gus! Oh, fuck! Gus! Can you hear me?! Shit, shit, shit!" Matt panicked briefly and looked for anywhere to get down.

Not too far away there was a slope down that he could walk down. He hurried over, huffing and moving as fast as he could. Matt made it down as soon as he could and kneeled beside Gus, looking for where he was bleeding. His heart sank as he saw the gash in Gus' arm and on his head. Without a second thought, Matt got out his knife and cut off a lot of his shirt fabric, wrapping it around Gus' wounds carefully. "Please, fucking please...I won't lose you!" Matt lifted Gus and carried him on his back, struggling to get back to the power plant.

_Gus slept peacefully on a beanbag chair, only ten or so feet from the fire Matt made. The blonde watched the fellow survivor closely, eyes half-lidded. "You worry me, Gus...I just...I want you to stay safe."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much the equivalent of a season finale  
> Please leave comments, they seriously make my day ;v;


	11. Sound of Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a lot of flashbacks (in italicized) and dramatic moments u-u

Chris sat in the corner, arms wrapped around himself. He had been like that for awhile, ever since the first day. It just didn't seem worth it to exert effort when he knew they all were going to die eventually. In his eyes, he saw the death surrounding them, choking them. It tainted the air and stole away everything he ever loved in life, so why bother loving anything? Brandon was gone, probably dead by now. A sickness filled him and the tears began to prickle in the corner of his eyes. Brandon was all he had and of course he managed to lose him.

With a sigh, Chris tensed up even more, eyes fixated on the ground and his feet. Nothing felt right anymore. The only thing that was around him was silence. Unforgiving, unending, and dreadfully painful silence. It could've easily drove anyone mad, much like Burnie. The brunette glanced up to look at said man, narrowing his eyes. How could've someone like him lost it so easily. The anger that was stored away must've taken a long time. It rotted Burnie's insides until he couldn't take it anymore. Still, it seemed to come from nowhere.

Chris furrowed his brows, face half hidden in his arms. No one had made an attempt to talk to him and quite honestly, he was fine with that. It was impossible to replace Brandon and he wasn't about to start trying. Still, a part of him begged for some kind of social relationship. He was only human after all. Scared and alone, forced to face the world without his crutch to hold him up. Humans get scared.  
Brandon must've been scared, too...even if he refused to show it much.

_Brandon kept his walking even, glancing behind him every once in awhile. He smiled at Chris, stopping to wait for him. "Don't...don't stop for me." Chris muttered, catching up. "Why not?" Brandon questioned, already moving along once more. The younger man thought a lot, following as closely as he could. It was certainly something interesting to ask, considering their current circumstances. Heck, the dead had only been walking for a month. "I'll slow you down." Chris finally replied, already lagging a bit behind. Brandon stopped again without even turning around._

_"Chris...I'd rather slow down and die with you than get away and leave you behind." He sounded stern, completely serious in every way possible. "You're important. Not just to me, but to the world." Brandon now faced his friend, grinning widely. Chris simply gave a nod, a bit awestruck._

Chris fidgeted as he remembered that walk. It was one of the few times he actually wanted to be around. Brandon had a way of making him feel important and wanted, something no one had ever done before. Sure, perhaps he couldn't and didn't believe everything Brandon said to him, but he appreciated every word. A very tiny smile formed on his face, but was soon swept away when he felt a chilling breeze blow against him.  
He was alone.  
Always alone.

Suddenly, though, there was a commotion going on. He hadn't been paying much attention and seemed to miss something. On wobbling legs, he snuck his way over and nearly let out a gasp at the sight. Matt carried Gus in, wheezing and struggling for breath as he sprinted in and gently set his friend down. Kerry immediately stepped up, being the one with the most medical training. Still, it wasn't a lot, and he looked mortified at the large wounds. Matt took two fingers and pressed them against Gus' neck, sighing in relief. There was still a pulse, still hope alive.

Michael stood nearby, hand hovering over his gun. Chris understood why, knowing that if Gus died, he could either turn in a matter of minutes or a matter of hours. The sickness washed over him again and he stayed off to the side, not wanting to disturb anyone. Most people stayed away, huddling up in their smaller friend groups and gossiping like mad. It all seemed a bit trivial to Chris, who figured why not just wait until the others explained what happened. He frowned at the sight and soon returned to his corner, contently relaxing with his own thoughts.

Matt refused to leave Gus, staring the dying man down. There was no way he could let him die, not after everything they had gone through. He choked back a sob, watching closely as Kerry removed the strips of fabric and tried to clean up the wounds. Gus didn't move an inch, completely still and barely breathing. It felt as if the entire world stilled and left Matt moving. He couldn't help, he could just stare blankly as the color left Gus' face. The brunette was so pale, even with his darker complexion. Kerry glanced up at Matt and furrowed his brows. No words needed to be said, Matt simply moved away, giving Kerry room to work.

The cleaned wounds were now being rewrapped, blood staining the perfectly whote bandages. Matt's throat tightened and he wanted to scream. If Gus didn't wake up, he wouldn't know what to do. He had been so happy to see his friend again, alive and well. Now fate had a much more cruel intention. It planned to steal away even more, from not only his life, but everyone else's, too. Matt wiped at his eyes, ignoring Michael as the leader gently touched his shoulder. His hand still lingered over the handle of the gun, and yet he had the audacity to try and comfort Matt.

Caleb and Barbara watched from a distance, eyes fixated on the scene. As Barbara shifted her gaze to Caleb, she saw him look terrified. It was nice to see that he actually cared, even without knowing the others more than a couple of hours. Jack was a bit behind them, leaning against the wall. He felt no need to talk with the others, choosing instead to wait it out. If need be, he was ready to try and help Matt through this, very aware how much it hurt to lose someone. His mind wandered to thoughts of Geoff quickly, he couldn't help it. All the blood, the pain, the tears...  
He could only imagine what Matt was feeling.

_"Hey, Gus!" Matt greeted as he reentered the library. In his hands he carried a basket of supplies; Food, water, first-aid. He set the basket down next to their usual firepit and smiled when Gus rounded a corner. "Jesus, there you are! Don't fucking worry me like that..." The brunette avoided eye contact, angrily stomping about. Matt chuckled deeply, walking over. "Sorry I didn't call ahead, mother." Gus rolled his eyes. "Shut up, you dick." He spat, already thumbing through the new supplies._

_"By the way, Gus...why don't you ever call me by my name?" Matt asked, frowning very slightly. Gus froze and didn't reply for almost a full minute. "Cause...I just like calling you a dick." He mumbled, grabbing a bottle of water and opening it. "Right." Matt said dryly, rolling his eyes. Gus sighed then took a sip of water. "Fine, I'll tell you. Just...don't laugh."_   
_"I promise, I won't laugh." Matt gave him a reassuring smile, but Gus wasn't even looking._

_"Fate's got a fucked up sense of humor. Likes any excuse to kill off good people who I care about." Gus' expression was solemn, eyes casted down as he spoke. "I figure, maybe I can trick him. Call you a dick and he won't think...that I..."_   
_"You care about me?"_

Matt felt like puking, still watching as Kerry tried his hardest to fix Gus. Yeah...fate had a fucked up sense of humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DID SOMETHING CLEVER WITH THE TITLE  
> BUT I'M GUESSING NO ONE WILL NOTICE  
> Basically, there's no dialogue (Except in the flashbacks) soooo  
> It was silent
> 
> Next chapter I'm going to start writing right now uwu


	12. Words Never Spoken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm listening to sad music  
> That means sad situations  
> I'm so sorry

After Kerry had done all he could do, Matt never left Gus' side. The sun had set and the rain slowed down to a trickle outside. Still, Matt sat beside his friend's unmoving body, listening to every small breath. Next to his foot was Michael's gun, the safety off. He remembered very clearly that Michael wanted him to use it as soon as Gus stopped breathing. Matt smiled sadly. How pessimistic. Not 'if' he stopped breathing, but 'when'. Everyone had given up on Gus, figuring he couldn't recover from the blood loss. Yet, Matt never lost faith. It was Fate'd test and he was going to overcome it, because he was strong.

"Hey...Gus?" Matt whispered quietly, eyes fixated on the brunette. "You're going to wake up. You and me...we're a fucking team. There's no way in hell I'm letting you leave me. Got it?" There was no response, just more silence. "Don't...DON'T JUST DIE ON ME!" Matt's voice echoed against the walls and possibly woke the other survivors in the room next to him. He didn't care, though. "Fucking, fuck! Gus! You won't do this to me! Wake! Up!" He was near tears now, breathing heavy as he watched for any sign from Gus. Nothing, nothing! There was always nothing!

"God...please...Gus, please." Matt was whispering again, body fully turned to Gus' as he held his hands together and pleaded. "Fucking...please, I'll do anything. Just, wake up and don't...you can't die." His body shook and his throat tightened. There was no way he could sit there and watch this. Torture himself with 'if only's and 'maybe somehow's. "I'd give anything...just wake up, Gus." There was a solid minute of quiet, the only sound that of breathing. It was painfully and disturbing to Matt.

"God...damn it." Matt sobbed, resting his face in his hands. He sniffled and wiped at the tears, trying desperately to pull himself together. This was his best friend. The pain of losing him was stabbing into his heart and he felt sick. "I'm so sorry...it's all my fault...Gus. Gus, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Matt pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face, trying to quiet himself. "I...Gus, I just..." He inhaled sharply and looked to his friend, who was surprisingly still breathing. "Gus, I just wanted to tell you something..." He squeezed his eyes shut and felt a warm tear roll down his face. "I--"  
Gus coughed twice, slowly forcing his eyes open. Matt opened his own and stared in disbelief.

"Ma...tt? Are you...crying?" Gus muttered with a dry throat, struggling to sit up. Matt grinned and wiped his eyes again, relief washing over him instantly. "Not important. Gus, are you alright?" He reached his hand out, very gently touching Gus' wounded shoulder. The brunette winced in pain, hissing quietly. "Damn..the fuck happened?" Matt handed him a bottle of water and avoided the question for a moment more. Gus chugged the liquid, quenching his thirst. "Better?" Matt asked, still grinning like an idiot. Gus gave a single nod and set aside the empty bottle.

"...Oh shit..." Gus said under his breath, sitting up even more against the wall. "I fell...am I...dead?" He looked absolutely confused, rubbing absent-mindedly at his wrapped head. "What do you think this is? Hell?" Matt joked, smile fading a bit. "No." Gus admitted quickly, still a bit dazed. He blinked his eyes a few times and finally looked up at Matt. "Guess I'm alive then? Works for me..." He smirked, but soon frowned again when he saw Matt's puffy eyes and red nose. "Jesus...did you really think...?" Gus trailed off, searching Matt's face for a hint of him joking. Instead, the man stood in a bit of a frantic manner.

"The hell do you think?! You lost a fuck ton of blood and wouldn't wake up for HOURS! HOURS, Gus! I, I didn't know what to do!" Matt paced around, both hands gripping his head. "I almost lost you! Do you know how fucking painful that was! I would have...I just! Fucking hell!" Matt stopped again at the wall and punched it, the sound echoing off the walls. Gus kept his gaze locked on his friend, but didn't move in the slightest. As much as he wanted to stand and maybe comfort him in some way, he was in no condition to do so. Matt rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Fate plays some fucked up pranks...I didn't...you were almost gone." Matt muttered. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Why weren't you paying attention? You just, fucking fell down a cliff?!" Matt suddenly turned to face Gus, glaring him down. "I...couldn't see. I thought the path continued and I looked back for just a second...a fucking second! I looked back to see if you were catching up, and then...I fell." Gus swallowed, taking off his overly scratched and now slightly bloodied glasses. He turned them over in his hand and squinted. "Last thing I remember seeing was you...looking over the edge. Then nothing." He tried to rub off the blood, but it wouldn't come off. Matt sighed quietly and snatched the glasses from Gus. He breathed hotly on them and then wiped them on his shirt, successfully cleaning off the blood.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Matt said darkly, giving Gus back his glasses. "Get some sleep." And then he left, leaving the gun Michael gave him where it was set. Gus glanced at the gun and then put his glasses back on. He sighed and shifted position slightly as he stared the weapon down.  
"What kind of bastard would make you do it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry about that!


	13. Almost Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in awhile!  
> I hope to get a couple chapters out today uwu  
> As always, I love comments!

The next morning, Michael walked out into the main room, expecting a body. Instead, he stared in disbelief at a living, breathing Gus. The still weak man glanced up and managed a smile. "Well hey, bossman. Mind if I talk to you?" Gus said in a fake kind voice. Michael stepped forward all the same, watching Gus struggle to stand. "What do you need?" Michael muttered coldly. The glare that fell on Gus' face was intimidating to say the least. "You fucking told Matt to keep me from turning?" His voice was low and harsh, eyes boring holes into Michael's skin. "I did. So what?"

"So! You don't fucking do that! Matt's been through some tough shit and I haven't always been there for him, but...fuck...he shouldn't have to off a friend. No one fucking should." Gus growled, fists clenched. He was closer to Michael now, making direct eye contact. Guilt weighed heavy on Michael's shoulders and he couldn't bring himself to move or speak. Gus huffed, biting the inside of his cheek. "You're a fucking disgrace. No leader should ever do something like that, alright?" And with that, Gus shoved past him, heading in the direction Michael came from. After he was gone, Michael sighed, rubbing his wrapped arm subconsciously.

It wasn't long until others were out and about, discussing both short term and long term plans. Lindsay made her way over to Michael and smiled fondly. He returned the look, gently kissing her forehead. "Hey, sweetie." He muttered against her head. She giggled cutely and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hey...so, guess what?" Lindsay sounded pleasant as usual, obviously having some sort of news. "What?"  
"Jack says you can take those bandages off." To emphasise, she stared right at Michael's previously injured arm. He, too, glanced at it, frowning. "Shit...has it really been that long? Time really flies." He sighed, pulling away from his girlfriend.

"Well, you were shot within the first month, right?" Lindsay asked quietly as she furrowed her brows. Michael snorted and slowly headed for a corner, Lindsay close behind. "Yeah, I guess that's true. Fuck, I can't believe that was the first time I met Jack." He bitterly avoided mentioning Geoff, and instead scratched at the wound. "Hebwas the one who patched you up, right?" Michael nodded in response. The two sat down, Michael with his back against the wall. "Here, let me do it for you..." Lindsay reached out, but Michael pulled back, smirking. "Shouldn't, you know, Kerry do this? He's got the fucking training." Lindsay rolled her eyes, reaching her hand out again. "Sure, Mr. Nursing school. He taught me a few things! Besides, I'm just getting the bandage off and cleaning you up a bit."

With a quiet chuckle, Michael let her undo the knot and slowly pull away the not so white bandages. Her face sunk as she saw the scar where the bullet had gone through the skin. "Holy shit..is the bullet still...?" Lindsay trailed off, thoroughly examining it with her eyes. Michael shifted and turned a bit, showing the other side of his arm, where the exit wound scarred up, too. "The, uh, guy...was pretty close range. Went in one end and out the other. Trust me, it's fucking painful." He gently ran a finger over his own skin and stared a bit in awe. It had been months now and he couldn't believe just how much had managed to change. People left...people came...it all just never slowed down.

Lindsay tilted her head, waving a hand infront of Michael. "Michael? You alright?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. Michael nodded vacantly, still touching his scar. Lindsay sighed, grabbing a cloth and dipping a small portion in one of the buckets of water they'd collected. She carefully wiped up dried blood and whatever else there might've been. The water felt foreign against his skin, which was pale in comparison to the rest of his now tanned skin. "Hmm...without the bandages, you almost look naked." Lindsay teased, finishing up. Michael rolled his eyes and moved his shoulder around. "Don't roll your eyes at me!" She feigned annoyed, but ended up giggling.

"That does bring up something, though..." Michael muttered, scratching the side of his face. "It's going to get colder fast. We'll need to get some jackets or something for the group." He stood, offering a hand to Lindsay and helping her up. "You're right. I can go get some?" She offered, smiling sweetly. Michael shook his head no, scanning the room. "Nah...I'll send Ryan and Joel. We'll also probably want to send out some people to get food and firewood. We might be here awhile and this room is pretty tall. All the heat will be up there." He planned out, now staring up at the ceiling. Lindsay nodded along, showing her understanding. "I'll go tell them. You figure out the other groups, kay?" And then she wandered off, leaving Michael alone.

The ginger faintly smiled to himself, still staring at the ceiling. "You would have liked her, Geoff. She's great."

After Lindsay explained their job, Joel and Ryan immediately set off, mud and leftover puddles splashing underneath their feet. "Rain really did a number on everything..." Joel muttered, hands in the pocket of his hoodie. Ryan nodded, but said nothing, just continuing along. The brunette chuckled, a shit-eating grin spread across his face. "Stil pining after Lindsay?" He asked nonchalantly. Ryan stopped and turned to glare at the older man. "What?" He growled. "Woah there, boy!" Joel held up his hands defensively. "Don't bite my hand off, jesus! Can't a friend just ask another friend?" Ryan sighed in response, returning to his walking.

"I'm not pining." He finally muttered, steps more angry than before. "Sure you are." Joel replied, smirking up a storm. "I've been in the acting business. The way you look at her, same look all of us strive to imitate. You're really into her." Ryan's face fell at Joel's words and he made no move to say otherwise. Joel simply let out a victorious huff and they continued on in a tense silence.

After awhile, though, Ryan spoke up, eyes fixated ahead. "I messed up once. That's all it took. Now I'll never have a chance with her. Still, I guess I'm just happy she's alright. I don't think I'd ever let Michael get away with losing her." Joel frowned, staring at the back of his head. He knew there was something a bit off about Ryan. He was usually very good at keeping his emotions under lock and key, but then there were these moments. He'd talk about some serious shit and make vague threats. A part of Joel knew Ryan wasn't joking.  
"Have you noticed Michael won't let her leave the power plant?" Joel pointed out quietly. "I'm pretty sure both of you are on the same page here."


	14. Scavenging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There won't be much action for awhile, because I'm trying to really flesh out the characters and their relationships with other survivors  
> Once chapter 20 hits, there will be a LOT of action and Rotten uwu

Joel kicked open the door, grunting slightly at the effort. Ryan peeked his head in and scanned the room. "Looks clear. Let's go." He stated calmly, already heading inside. Joel held up his hand for the biochemist to wait and gripped his foot. "Shit, wait!" He hissed through clenched teeth. Ryan glanced back at him and smirked. Figures he'd injure himself. "Age does a number on me..." Joel joked, flexing his foot and chuckling nervously. "How old ARE you, exactly?" Ryan crossed his arms, waiting patiently. "Uhhh, forty-two." Joel finally began to walk again, but limping slightly. The blonde chuckled again and headed towards a clothes rack. "You don't look it."

Joel gave a thumbs up and wandered off, searching for any jackets. He was disappointed to not see any, but it only figured that'd be the case. "These stores were last stocked during summer...of course they don't have shit..." Joel grumbled under his breath. He shook his head and kept searching, rumaging through tank tops and shorts. "Hey! Joel! Clearance section!" Ryan called from a different corner of the room. With a sigh, Joel turned and headed towards Ryan's voice. Once around a corner, he saw the large obnoxiously yellow sign for clearance. "Of course." He said matter-of-factly, before looking at the selection of jackets. "This...could actually work." Ryan smiled and reached for a few jackets, tossing some at Joel.

While Joel was shoving some of the clothing into his backpack and slinging some over his shoulder, Ryan's mind began to wander. He cleared his throat and licked his lips, hesitating to ask. "So...what was it like...? Being alone for months?" Ryan asked quietly, watching from the clothes rack. Joel visibly tensed, smile fading. "It...wasn't exactly pleasant." He suddenly smiled again, returning to the jackets. Ryan narrowed his eyes, trying to read Joel's expression, but not being able to see past the facade. Perhaps it was best to just drop the subject. Afterall, Ryan didn't have many 'friends'. The last thing he needed was to screw up a friendship.

_Joel gripped his phone tightly, shaking as he muttered incoherently. The phone rang and rang, but went to voicemail. "Fuck! Fuck!" He cursed, hanging up and trying a different number. "Anyone...anyone, please!" Tears streamed down his face and groans and screams could be heard outside. The phone rang five times, and finally, someone picked up. "Joel? I-is that you?" The man's face lit up and he grinned from ear to ear. "Mom! Oh thank God! Are you okay? Are you safe?" He asked, peeking out the window of the second floor. The streets were filled with Rotten, dying people, too. "Yes, I'm fine, but---" A loud crash was heard on the other end and Joel's heart nearly stopped. "Mom? MOM!" There was screaming._

_And the line went dead._

Miles and Kerry carefully treaded through the small section of woods near the power plant, Kerry holding a large bundle of firewood. He smiled contently to himself, following behind Miles' as he searched for anything useful. "You know, this is the first time in awhile it's been just us." Kerry commented, nearly tripping on a tree root. He quickly regained balance and made a note to watch where he was going. "What do you mean?" Miles glanced back with a confused expression. "I mean, it's always you and Arryn together. Nothing against her, I just miss when we used to hang out." The blonde explained, sheepishly looking down.

Miles hummed in thought, picking up a tree branch and placing it on Kerry's pile. "I guess you're right..." He admitted with a sigh. "It's just...shit's been crazy, you know?" He looked up at Kerry and frowned. "Yeah...yeah I know." Kerry mumbled, walking away at a relaxed pace. "Arryn needs me. I'm just...helping her keep it together." Miles turned and followed his friend, pleading his case. Kerry rolled his eyes and huffed. "She doesn't need you. Arryn's tough." He insisted a bit harshly. "Come on, Kerry...what's your problem?" The brunette took a much colder tone and glared at him. Kerry stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. "My problem? My problem, thanks for asking, is that I know you and her almost left the group!"

Miles cringed and shook his head. "That...but...okay, seriously?! Arryn wanted to leave, not me! I fucking talked her out of it! Besides, she was in a fucking panic and that was awhile ago! Why the hell does that still bother you?" Miles barked, flailing his arms around in a pissed off manner. Kerry gripped tightly on the wood and began to walk back to the power plant. "Because! If it wasn't for the fact that Barbara and Monty were fighting, you would've left!" Kerry argued, nearly tripping over the same root as before. "What makes you say that?!" Miles yelled, angrily following the blonde. "How could that possibly affect whether or not I would leave?!" He added quickly. "If the group was just sad or something, you would have left to please Arryn in a heartbeat. But you knew that if you guys left, it'd be me, Monty, and Barbara. You knew those two would kill eachother."

Miles stopped suddenly and bit his lower lip in thought. "But, Kerry? I wouldn't have ever just ditched you...girlfriend or not." His voice was hushed, footsteps lighter as he continued forward. "Even if my previous theory was wrong...if you couldn't have talken Arryn out of it, you would have chased after her! You would've been gone and I'd been alone!" They were now only fifty or so feet from the power plant. "KERRY SHAWCROSS! Think back! Think fucking back to when we first met! I didn't leave you then! I wouldn't leave you now!" Miles had gripped Kerry's shoulder, not letting him go.

_Kerry shivered in the cold of the fast food restaurant's freezer. He looked to Miles and then to the small window on the door. Rotten scratched at it, desperate to find a way in. "I texted my girlfriend. She'll be here to break open the back door's lock soon." Miles explained, shoving his phone in his pocket. Kerry nodded, but remained silent. "So...what's your name? I'm, uh...Miles Luna." He awkwardly reached out his hand and Kerry hesitated. Soon, though, he shook hands with Miles and smiled. "K-Kerry Shawcross. Thanks...for saving me."_

_"No problem. I think you should thank whatever's going on though for getting you out of a shitty job." Miles joked, both of them laughing._


	15. Our Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CANNN YOU FEEEL  
> THE LOVEEE TONIGHTTTT  
> Okay someone shut me up

Barbara and Caleb walked side by side, chuckling at eachother's stories and jokes. It was comfortable and pleasant, having someone to talk to. Barbara loved it, considering her last close friend was Kara. After she had died, everyone avoided her and quietly resented her. Or, not so quietly, in Monty's case. Having someone like Caleb was her escape from the stress of a group who didn't want her anymore. She finally trusted someone again, with everything. Not to say Jack wasn't nice, but he was a bit more like an older brother than a friend. They teased eachother back and forth, but he made no effort to communicate how he felt.

Barbara had wanted to get him to be open about his past experiences, but he clammed up. The only time he had said anything was when they were first out patroling. She knew he'd have her back in a heartbeat on anything, but otherwise...he was closed off from everything. Not like Caleb. He was something different, something just a bit better. While he was rather nervous at the start, he soon became a best friend. Telling stories, making jokes, giving advice. He was everything she needed right then. A faint blush spread across her cheeks and she shyly looked away from him while he spoke. Perhaps she felt more for him than just friendship, but that was a bit stupid at the moment. A world wide apocalypse happened a few months ago, Barbara really shouldn't have been thinking about anything like that.

Then again, she longed for something like Miles and Arryn had. Somehow, they had managed to make a relationship work and kept it going strong. Heck, Lindsay and Michael were starting something and were doing just fine. Still, did she have enough faith in herself to believe her and Caleb could work? Fuck. What was she doing? Barbara mentally kicked herself and frowned. She was skipping a few vitally important steps. Did Caleb even feel the same way? What if he didn't? She had no idea, really. If she even decided to make a move, it was incredibly possible that he wouldn't respond well and she would be stuck alone again. That was the last thing she wanted.

"Barbara? Are you alright? You look a bit...lost." Caleb furrowed his eyebrows, hands being shoved in his pockets. Barbara glanced up at him and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, fine! Just...thinking about shit." She chuckled, stopping as they rounded the corner and stood in a long hallway. It led to the back entrance, but was only ever used by Barbara and Caleb. They had decided it was their place, where they could talk about anything away from the group. "If you're sure. What were you thinking about?" He smiled fondly at her, leaning up against the wall. Barbara shifted uneasily, scratching at her nose. "Nothing. Hey, tell me another story from college!" Caleb chuckled quietly at her.

"Alright, alright. I don't know why you like my stories so much.." He said, watching her walk over next to him and sit down. "Because. College for you was like...college in those stupid movies where fucking thirty year olds play eighteen year olds!" Caleb laughed at her reasoning, but knew exactly what she meant. "Well I'm sure you're the expert here." He stated. "Hell yeah I am!" Barbara cheered, lightly whacking him on the arm. "Alright, uhhh...have I told you about Ben and I's first party?" He asked, looking at her. Barbara shook her head no and grinned, enjoying the fact that their shoulders were touching.

"Really? Wow. Okay, so it was only the third week of college and Ben got us invited to our first party. Honestly, I was pretty excited, but kinda nervous. So, we go to the party and I get completely smashed within the first couple hours. Ben had promised to stay sober so he could drive me home. Anyway, we're having fun, I'm talking to this gorgeous girl and somehow, actually making her laugh!" Barbara laughed, deciding to interrupt. "Caleb Denecour, lady killer." She joked. He rolled his eyes at her, but kept smiling. "You know it. Anyway, one thing led to another and we go to one of the open dorms and...well, you know." Barbara gave him a thumbs up and winked.

"Here's, uh, the best part, though. After that, I blacked out. I woke up in my bed and stumbled out with the worst fucking hangover. Ben grinned when he saw me and looked kinda antsy, so I asked him what was up. He then proceeded to explain to me that the girl I had been talking to, set me on the bed and left. I had sex with a pillow." Barbara busted out laughing, mixing in a few sympathetic 'aw's. Caleb smiled and nodded, staring at his own legs. "So yeah, not the best experience. Was still a virgin." He chuckled at himself and took off his hat, setting it beside him. Barbara gently touched his shoulder, but couldn't stop laughing. He just let her get it all out.

After a minute, Barbara finally calmed down and wiped some tears from her eye. "So...if that wasn't your first time, when was?" She asked casually. Caleb blushed a bit and rubbed at the back of his neck out of nervous habit. "Junior year of college. I was, uh...a late bloomer?" He chewed at his lower lip, still smiling. "Late bloomer? That's still earlier than a lot of people. I mean, I had my first time around the same age." She explained kindly, resting on him a bit more. Caleb muttered a quiet thanks and felt his stomach flip when she was even closer to him. He swallowed hard and tried to focus again. "So, another story?"

Michael walked up to Monty, trying to read the man's expression behind his sunglasses. Monty glanced up at stared the ginger down, arms firmly crossed over his chest. He waited patiently for Michael to speak. "So, we're getting a lot more supplies today as soon as Jack and Ray come back with the food and shit. I thought, you're probably the most diligent of everyone here, so...mind keeping inventory? We really should be sure we're rationing out our supplies. And I trust you." He explained, scratching at his hair under his beanie. Monty gave a swift nod. "Of course. I'm glad you trust me. I was beginning to think no one did."  
"That's stupid. Everyone trusts you."  
"Not everyone is as they seem, Michael."


	16. Almost Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm giving you guys enough Barbara/Caleb to make you sick omygosh

A week passed by without much thought. Michael and Ryan were close to fixing all the wiring, Monty was in charge of anything supply related, Kerry and Miles still refused to speak to eachother, and Barbara and Caleb were closer than ever. Life had continued on while the outside grew colder and colder, rain every few days. This was probably the record for most rain in Texas. They had a campfire indoors every night and would sleep in the smallest room, huddled together. Still, it felt as though something bad was going to happen, very soon. Monty could feel it and he knew someone had to be doing something. One morning, he had woken up first and watched them all, wary of anyone who acted suspicious. He never saw anything.

So the day went on. Michael and Lindsay woke up and silently greeted Monty before heading out of the room. One by one, each person woke up and were sent to their duties. Jack, Joel, and Chris headed off to continue their work on a fortified gate out front. Gavin and Ray volunteered to scavenge and left without any hesitation. Monty enlisted Kerry's help in separating the rations for the day, though he seemed a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. The brunette figured Kerry just didn't want to mess up anything, which was understandable. Miles and Arryn pulled in the buckets of water collected from last nights rain and shoved them in the corner for anyone to drink from. Ryan immediately went to work on the wiring while Burnie cleaned up the fireplace and replaced the burnt up wood with some from the lumber stack. Gus, still recovering from his head injury, was being taken care of by Matt. The two didn't speak much.

For the most part, everyone had their job and tended to it without being told so. The group had a schedule and a routine and stuck to it best they could. Barbara was one of the last people to wake up, therefore she didn't have anything to do except talk with other survivors. Michael always wanted to be sure that there would be time for everyone to relax and talk to others, so that no one felt the anxiety of survival. He wanted everyone to keep their cool and remain sane as long as possible. Barbara appreciated that for sure. She walked casually up to Caleb and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around and instantly grinned. "Hey. You sure slept in." He teased her, getting an amused glare in response. "Ha ha. I was on scavenging yesterday, it takes a lot out of me." She explained.

"Well so was Matt. You don't see HIM lazing around, do you?" Caleb began to walk towards their hallway, Barbara following close behind. "Yeah, but he needed to get up and help Gus, so..." She trailed off, fixing her jacket and zipping it up. "Saying you don't have a reason to wake up earlier?" He asked. "Well obviously. I mean, there's you, but there's only so much I can take." She winked playfully and Caleb feigned hurt. "Now that's just plain rude! I cannot believe you would say such a thing!" Barbara laughed, shaking her head. "Wow, talk about over dramatic. Were you maybe into acting?" Caleb chuckled quietly in response. "Nah, not my thing. I can't even lie well." He explained, stopping onced they were in the hall. "...Hey, uh...can I confess something to you?" Barbara suddenly muttered with her eyebrows furrowed.

Caleb slid down against the wall and stretched out his legs, staring up at Barbara. "Of course." He assured. Barbara took a deep breath and continued to stand, eyes casted down at her feet. "You know how...Monty refuses to talk to me? And, uh...most people aren't exactly my friends?" She said quietly, receiving a hesitant nod from Caleb. "There's...a reason for that." She took another deep breath. "I had a bit of a...breakdown...back before we ended up here. I nearly shot Monty and ended up shooting my best friend Kara's foot. Everyone thought I was fucking crazy. Maybe I was." The last part was muttered, the blonde pacing nervously. "A herd of Rotten showed up and, and I couldn't...Kara tripped us on purpose. Kerry came back for me, but I....Kara...was left behind. Now no one trusts me. They all think I could just snap and kill anyone, anytime." She was holding in tears, but they were nows falling down her cheek.

Caleb immediately got up and went to her. He gently gripped her one shoulder and with his other hand, wiped away a few tears on her cheek. "Hey...it's alright." He whispered, their faces incredibly close. "You...you don't hate me?" Barbara replied in confusion. Caleb shook his head and gave her a small smile. "I don't think I can. This Barbara is perfect and nothing like the one you just told me about. How could I hate you? You're nothing like the other one." His voice was soft as he spoke, smile only growing. "But...what...what if--" Barbara stuttered out, crying a bit more. "Hush. No 'what if's. You're fine." He slowly went to kiss her, gently pressing his lips to hers. They both closed their eyes and just enjoyed the moment for what felt like eternity, but what was actually only five seconds.

Caleb pulled back and Barbara's eyes fluttered open. She bit nervously at her bottom lip and her entire face felt red. "What was that for?" She asked quietly. Caleb grinned and looked away shyly. "Cause...I...I really care about you. I've never met anyone like you before." He explained. Barbara very slowly began to smile, too and giggled like a teenager. "What?" Caleb asked, not understanding. "Do I have something on my face?" Barbara giggled again and rolled her eyes. "Just...kiss me, you dumbass."

Monty and Kerry continued to sort out the food supplies in silence. That was, until, Monty noticed something. "Kerry. We're missing supplies." He stated darkly. Kerry glanced up and tilted his head. "R-Really? What are we missing?" He asked, voice cracking on the first word. "A few cans, some antibiotics, and ammo." Monty listed off, standing up. Kerry stared up at his and swallowed hard. "What, uh...what does that mean?" He asked meekly.  
"Means we have a traitor within the group."


	17. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING  
> THIS CHAPTER IS ENTIRELY SMUT  
> IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ, YOU CAN JUST SKIP IT, YOU WILL NOT MISS ANYTHING PLOT RELATED  
> THANK YOU

Caleb kissed Barbara roughly against the wall, hands holding her wrists above her head. She moaned into his mouth and made no move to escape his grip. He pulled away a bit breathless and stared into her eyes for a moment before giving a lust filled grin. Barbara's entire face turned re as she stared back. Caleb then began to kiss up and down her neck, nibbling and sucking, but now enough to bruise. Barbara let out a whine and squirmed against the wall, the desire to try and touch him overwhelming her. "Ca...Caleb, they might hear us..." She pointed out a bit out of breath. He stopped for a second and shook his head no. "We're far enough away. We're fine." He assured.

Barbara gave a single nod and chewed at her lip again. "Don't look so worried." Caleb gently teased, gently kissing her on the lips. He pressed their foreheads together and smiled. "You're beautiful, by the way." He whispered softly, earning a shy giggle from Barbara in response. "Shut up." She smiled back now, moving forward enough to have kissed him on the cheek. "Hey..it's true. Now, how about we keep going? I promise...it'll be quick. No one will know..." He waited patiently for her approval and grinned when she muttered a pleasant 'yes'. Caleb kissed her passionately, moving his hands to run up and down her sides. Barbara let her eyes close and wrapped her free arms around his neck.

Caleb knew they would have to be quick, so most of their clothing would have to stay on, but next time...  
His stomach did a flip as he realized what was about to happen. He gently went for the button on Barbara's jeans and undid it, helping pull them down. He gave her one last kiss and kneeled infront of her, pulling the clothing down to her ankles. Barbara shivered a bit, her legs exposed to the unusually cold Texas air. Caleb kissed her thigh and smiled up at her. She giggled, stepping out of her jeans and shoving them aside. Caleb took this as a go-ahead and very slowly went to remove her panties. Once they were gone, he kissed up her thigh until he right next to her entrance. Barbara whined quietly and squirmed again. "Trying to rush me?" Caleb teased, breath hot against her.

With a roll of her eyes, Barbara knocked off Caleb's hat and threaded her fingers in his hair. He chuckled and moved forward, flicking a tongue over her clit. The grip in his hair tightened and he continued, gently taking the clit into his mouth and sucking. Barbara moaned, but quickly covered her mouth with her right hand, desperate to not be loud. Caleb grinned against her, enjoying the reaction he had gotten from her. His tongue ended up at her entrance and relentlessly teased her, until she couldn't take it anymore and pushed him into her more. Caleb complied, tongue thrusting in and out at a fair enough pace. Barbara bit down on her hand to keep quiet, but quiet moand and whines escaped frequently.

Caleb pulled away much to her disappointment, but soon stood. "Sorry, but...we kind of need to hurry..." He explained, already going to take off his own pants. Barbara nodded understandingly. Caleb went to kiss her, but she stopped him with an eyebrow raised. "You're really going to kiss me? Right after that?" She asked. "That was the plan." He admitted with a chuckle. "Just checking." Barbara smiled and giggled, pulling him in for the kiss. Caleb successfully got his pants and boxers off, kicking them away. Carefully, he found her entrance again and gently prodded at it. Barbara whined into the kiss, wanting more.

Caleb slowly thrusted into her, pulling away from the kiss and resting their foreheads together. "Shit..." He breathed out, finally all the way in. Barbara gasped quietly when he pulled almost all the way out and quickly thrusted back in. "You alrigh?" He asked, checking in on her. She nodded against him and buried her face into his shoulder. Caleb chuckled quietly and began to thrust in and out at a steady pace, enjoying her tightness. Barbara had her arms wrapped around him, holding on tightly. "Fuck, Caleb...oh my god..." She moaned against his shoulder, receiving a groan from him in response. After months of barely any physical contact (due to the apocalypse happening and all), both of them were incredibly sensitive and incredibly eager.

Caleb was soon thrusting faster with less of a rythmn. Barbara was struggling to keep quiet, only a few of her moans being muffled by the fabric of Caleb's shirt. Soon, she had reached climax, and was shuddering and moaning loudly, repeating Caleb's name. Caleb held back his own and pulled out of her, coming mostly on the floor and a bit on Barbara's thighs. The two panted for a moment, just catching their breath. When Barbara looked down she giggled quietly. "Wow, nice aim." She joked, reaching for her small pack and opening it to get her toliet paper. Caleb muttered an apology and stepped back, letting her clear herself up. "....I love you...." Barbara looked up and stared at Caleb after he spoke, eyes wide. She slowly smiled and nearly started to cry again. "I love you, too." She finally said, both of them grinning like fools.

"Now get your pants on, idiot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee I'm bad at this  
> oops


	18. Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suggest listening to the Alan Wake soundtrack uwu  
> It sets a very dramatic mood and helps inspire my writing!

Monty recounted the supplies twice, but it continued to come up short. There had to be some explanation, but the only thing he could even consider was that someone stole them. There was a traitor inside the power plant, someone they couldn't trust. He bit the inside of his cheek angrily and turned to look at Kerry. The blonde glanced up rather nervously, but kept silent. "Did you take the supplies, Kerry?" Monty asked quietly. Kerry shook his head and gave Monty a look that screamed innocence. It just couldn't have been him. With a sigh, the brunette turned away and went straight to Michael.

Kerry stood by himself now, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. He was definitely nervous, definitely hiding something. His eyes scanned the room and stopped on many people. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves so Monty wouldn't figure it out, but it all was just overwhelming. He knew who it was. Looking down at the supplies, he counted again, hoping by some miracle that the supplies would be back. No such luck, obviously. The pressure felt like weights upon his shoulders and Kerry knew there was no way he could keep his secret much longer.

Michael immediately stopped talking to Lindsay when Monty began to stroll over. He muttered a curse and sighed. "What?" Lindsay asked, turning to look at Monty as well. "There's obviously trouble. Fucking hell, just when things were getting fucking better. Mind giving us a minute?" Michael looked to his girlfriend, who shook her head no and wandered off without hesitation. Monty passed her as she left and they both mumbled greetings to eachother. "Michael. There's something you need to know." He started quickly. The ginger ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "What's up?" He asked with narrowed eyes. "Supplies have been stolen." Michael's eyes widened for a moment. "Shit, really? Fuck...what's been taken? Are you sure?" A few questions flew from his mouth and Monty frowned more than usual.

"A few cans of food, antibiotics, and some handgun ammo. And yes, I'm positive." Monty explained expertly. Michael let out a quiet stream of curses and paced a few steps each way. After a moment of thinking he glanced up and scowled. "I'll ask around, can't have a panic going on. Just...keep working for now..." He wasn't looking at Monty anymore, but rather at the distance, where Ray and Gavin had returned with new supplies. Monty nodded and made his way back over to Kerry. Michael on the other hand, headed straight for the pair that returned. When Ray noticed the leader, he grinned, but soon it faded when Michael's serious face never broke. This was obviously trouble of some sort.

"Gavin, get those supplies to Monty and Kerry." Michael instructed, watching Gavin salute and head off. Ray went to follow him, but Michael stopped him with a strong grip to the shoulder. "Not you, Ray. I have a few questions for you." Michael's voice was low and stern, something Ray hadn't heard in awhile. He cleared his throat and smiled, tryingto look pleasant. It didn't faze Michael in the slightest. "Ray...you can be honest with me. I know you were a thief and shit back before we met, but--" Ray quickly interjected with a harsh glare. "The fuck, dude?" Michael sighed in response. "Look, I'm just saying! Some supplies were taken fom our stash." Ray gave him a much more incredulous look, crossing his arms.

"You think I fucking stole them?" He asked, Michael flinching slightly. "I'm just fucking asking, calm the fuck down. The way you're acting, though, I might suspect you! Just tell me; Did you take the supplies?!" He had once again gripped Ray's shoulder, brown eyes staring into Ray's. The Puerto Rican struggled, but got out of the grip and stepped back warily. "Jesus Christ! I didn't steal fucking anything! I can't believe you don't trust me!" Ray's voice only got louder, alerting a few people who were around. "I trust you, Ray. I just have to be sure." Michael lowered his own voice, hoping to calm the situation, Ray rolled his eyes.

"You're so full of shit. Who fucking starts off a conversation with 'I know you were a thief' with a person they trust?! The hell, man, that's just fucked up!" Ray looked furious, staring straight at Michael. He was slightly taller, but Michael was the strongest of the two, so if a fight started, than it was obvious who the winner was. Gavin watched beside Kerry, nervously scratching at his arm. He knew Ray wasn't always a pushover, ever since the Burnie incident. The ending could turn out bad. "Calm the fuck down, it was just a question. Jesus..." Michael huffed in annoyance and stomped off, leaving a very frustrated Ray alone. The brunette turned on his heel and punched the wall as hard as he could, the noise echoing throughout the room.

 Gus lightly whacked Matt's arm and leaned closer to him. "Did you catch that shit?" Gus asked, looking a bit shocked. "Not really, I'm kinda deaf." Matt explained with a soft chuckle. Gus rolled his eyes and continued on. "Apparently, shit's going down. Supplies were stolen." He watched Ray vent his anger against the wall again before walking away. "Shit, really?" Matt breathed, sitting up a bit. Gus nodded. "I don't think it's Ray, but still...I wonder how Michael's going to figure this out?" Matt shrugged in response. "Heck if I know. Guess we'll see for ourselves." The blonde pointed out quietly. "No shit, you dick." Gus replied snidely.


	19. Monster Under The Bed

Michael ran a hand through his hair and inhaled deeply. Maybe it was fucking stupid, but he felt like he was losing it. Everything around him slowed and his gaze went from person to person. There was no way to know who did it and it was making him sick to his stomach. No way in hell was he going to have a repeat of what happened with Ray. Michael chewed on his bottom lip and continued to just stand there, watching everyone. How could he have let it happen? How could he have not seen the signs or known someone was suspicious? He was supposed to keep Lindsay safe.

Hell, he was supposed to keep EVERYONE safe. Still, just because he was meant to do something didn't mean he was able to. Was he maybe unfit to lead? Maybe Monty would've been a better leader, even with his antisocial tendencies? Or Burnie, even with his unpredictable emotional outburts. Both were wild cards, but anything was better than having a fucking monster under the bed, stealing supplies, ready to slit anyone's throat. Michael roughly pounded his fist against his head and screwed his eyes shut in frustration. It probably peaked a few people's interest, but he just didn't give a shit. Besides, he needed to solve it. Right then and there.

With all his held in anger, Michael's voice boomed and echoed along the walls in the most intimidating way imaginable. "Everyone FUCKING LINE UP!" He stormed off to the wall with the supplies and stood facing the slowly gathering line of survivors he came to trust very quickly in the past week or so. The few who were outside heard perfectly and made their way towards the line. They all looked skeptical and a bit frightened, no one speaking. Monty stepped forward beside Michael and scowled from behind his shades. His eyes landed on Barbara, who looked a bit out of it for the most part. Silence filled the space and everyone waited for Michael to speak.

The leader looked a mixture of emotions; Furious, confused, hurt, and scared. It was the most human he had ever seen. Jack shuddered slightly, unsure how to react after seeing Michael remain simply an irritated hardass most the time. "Someone is a filthy fucking lowlife fucking traitor! Now which of you fuckers fucking did it!?" The amount and harshness of Michael's cursing increased and even Lindsay seemed to cringe at it. No one spoke and that seemed to only infuriate the ginger more. "God fucking damn it! JUST SPEAK UP!" He was pacing now, about ready to punch a hole in the wall. Monty glanced at Barbara and tilted his head. For the most part he loved and trusted everyone, but she was an exception.

"Barbara looks rather guilty. Wouldn't surprise me if she did it." Monty commented coldly, relishing in the absolute look of disgust she gave him. Michael and everyone else immediately started to stare at her. "What the fuck? I didn't fucking do it!" She defended herself. Michael practically growled at her. "Someone fucking had to fucking do it!" He insisted harshly. Barbara rolled her eyes and clenched her fist. She was fucking tired of all this bullshit, but fighting back too much would only have made her look guilty. "Who's to say anyone did it!? Someone could have snuck in and stolen from us! Don't go turning on your OWN. FUCKING. GROUP." She barked back, motioning to the rest of the survivors.

"I don't think Barbara did it...if my opinion counts for anything..." Caleb muttered quietly beside her. Somehow, he appeared the calmest of the group. Monty frowned and huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "...Who ELSE could've done it?" Michael was breathing heavily, speaking through clenched teeth and jaw. His eyes narrowed and he eyed every one of them, quickly landing his gaze on Kerry. The blonde was obviously nervous and moreso than the others. He was about to say something, but was interrupted. "What about Miles and Arryn?! Back when we lost Lindsay, the two of them were planning on leaving!" Barbara pointed out, stepping forward and jerking a thumb towards them.

Miles looked hurt, eyes widening instantly. He sputtered out some nonsense, struggling to form a coherent sentence. Arryn stared down at the floor and pulled nervously at her jacket sleeves. "We! That...so what?!" Miles yelled, not exactly helping his cause. "So, you two could easily be stealing supplies for yourselves to try and get the fuck out of here!" Barbara elaborated with a cold glare. Arryn started to shake, terrified to be falsely accused. Miles gripped her hand in his and flipped Barbara off. "Fuck you. We have no reason to go! Why the hell would we steal anything?!" Miles refused to back down, ready to do whatever he had to to keep Arryn safe. Michael paid little attention to them and continued to watch Kerry with interest.  
"Kerry!"

Kerry nervously glanced up at Michael and then went back to staring at nothing. "I'm fucking talking to you, Kerry!" Michael very slowly stepped up infront of Kerry, nostrils flared and eyebrows slanted angrily. The blonde nearly looked close to crying, but kept his cool under the immense pressure. "Leave him the fuck alone!" Ray snapped from beside Gavin. The Brit started whispering for him to shut up and to not make it worse, but Michael just ignored him. Burnie, who was next to Chris, calmly stared straight ahead and watched out of the corner of his eyes Monty starting to pace impatiently. It hadn't really been that long, but everyone wanted this to be resolved and over. However, no one wanted to face the result.

"Talk to me, Kerry..." Michael muttered darkly, watching very closely. He was only a foot away, crowdingin on the blonde. He was shaking, but with a harsh intake of air, Kerry glanced up. His gaze began to go to a person and he started to speak. "I saw---"  
A bullet went right through Kerry's head and the noise echoed loudly off the walls. Caleb held the gun, his entire face completely changed. He looked angry and mean, ready to shoot anyone else. Michael shook with anger, shock, and fear. The monster had shown himself. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" Michael screamed at the top of his lungs. Caleb smirked.

"That was the signal."


	20. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title: Caleb Betrayed Them All  
> So this will be essentially a 'season finale' and I'll be taking a brief break from it to get to a few other things uwu
> 
> When you see *** I suggest listening to Vacation from the Alan Wake soundtrack!

Michael hesitated no longer, charging at Caleb in an aggressive manner. Caleb managed to keep standing, trying to get the gun pointed at Michael, but struggling to do so. "Get the fuck to the cover! GET WHAT SUPPLIES YOU CAN AND GET READY TO DEFEND THIS PLACE!" Michael screamed out his orders, one hand fighting with Caleb's to get the gun. Neither would let up and they tumbled down to the floor. "Give me. The fucking. Gun!" Michael growlee through clenched teeth, almost with a furm enough grip on the weapon. A crashing sound outside made everyone's heart stop. "Fuck, the gate!" Joel exclaimed, loading up his hand gun next to Burnie. "God damn it..."

Michael finally pulled back his one hand and punched Caleb square in the nose, weakening him enough to get the gun and get to Lindsay behind a cover. Caleb's nose bled, but he kept wiping it. At the front entrance, a car literally smashed through, rubble and the door now on the ground. The vehicle, some sort of modified jeep with about ten people in it, drove right in and near Caleb, where they started to shoot at people. Everyone ducked down their heads, unable to get any kind of clear shot. Michael let out a string of curses and quickly peeked his head up and shot, completely missing. He immediately went back down, avoiding a few shots directed at him. Another string of curses left him. "Lindsay? Are you alright? Did you get hurt at all?" Michael turned to his girlfriend, but wasn't expecting to see what he saw.

Lindsay's face was pale and her expression was etched with shock. Wide eyes stared unblinking away from the shooters and away from Michael. Her body shook lightly and her breathing was labored despite the short distance she ran. Michael gently touched her shoulder, but there was no response. "Sweetie? God damn it, please...I need you here...please?" He whispered, gunfire still constant above their heads. "K...Kerr...y..." Was all she could say, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Michael's chest hurt, knowing he had lost Kerry and that because of that, Lindsay was in shock. He decided to let her cope with her friend's death, seeing as they had a bit more immediate issues.

Ray continued to try and shoot someone, but he, and Gavin, had terrible aim. Luckily, Ryan, who was next to them, had a better chance and managed to get someone in the leg. "Shit!" The man screamed in pain, clutching his limb. Some guy next to him told him to suck it up and keep shooting, so he did. Ray cursed and scanned around at the other survivor's behind the cover. "God damn it, what are we supposed to do?!" He asked, running a hand through his hair. "We're going to hold position unless told otherwise." Ryan simply stated, reloading his gun. Gavin remained silent, incredibly overwhelmed by the situation.

"ROTTEN!" One of the men screamed, seeming to shoot in a different direction. Michael carefully looked over the top of the cover and his eyes widened. "Shit...shit, shit, shit!" A sea of Rotten began to trail in through the large hole that remained of thr entrance. Memories of the night he met Ryan and when he lost Geoff both come rushing back to him and he freezes in fear a moment. "Michael! We've got to get out of here. Now!" Monty, from a bit behind him, yelled. The ginger nodded and swallowed. "Let's go! Back exit, people! Retreat!" Michael ordered, grabbing Lindsay's hand and pulling her along with him. She went willingly, but her blank expression stayed with her. All of the survivor's ran, heading towards the back entrance.

A few men noticed and started to shoot at them again, letting the others deal with the Rotten. Most hits missed, but Matt was shot down, screaming in pain and falling to the ground. Gus screamed his name, but he was dragged away before he could go help. Matt glanced up, darkness filling his vision. He needed to get out of the middle of the room, so he crawled his way aside to the small closet in the corner. A trail of blood accompanied, but he was alive for the moment. That's all he needed, the moment, just to be alive.

Barbara had slipped away from the group, making her way down the hallway she and Caleb used to call 'Our Place'. It made her sick to the stomach and furious, and yet...she came here, hoping he would, too. With knife in hand, she roughly shoved it into the eye of a Rotten, pushing it against the wall and screaming at it as she stabbed about five more times. The undead fell to the floor and she kicked its jaw angrily. "Barbara..?" Caleb's meek voice asked from a good distance away. She turned to him, glaring. "You're a fucking piece of shit." She started, cleaning off the knife and putting it away.

"Barbara, I'm sorry." He took a slow step forward, eyebrows furrowed. Barbara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I don't fucking care! You used me! You used ALL of us! I get it now! That's why you were so worried when Gus almost died, right? Cause if we had to shoot him, that'd be the signal? That's why you fucked me, right?! TO STAB US ALL IN THE BACK?!" She visibly shook, either from anger or fear. Caleb shook his head no, taking another step closer. "You had nothing to do with this attack. I love you, honestly. I'd like to think you know that, since you're here and away from your group." Another step. "It was our group. It was OUR fucking group! How could you just...SHOOT THEM DOWN!? I mean fucking FUCK, you shot Kerry!" Her expression was purely anger now, and she wasn't about to take anymore bullshit.

Caleb was now not that far from her. He spoke soft and kindly, very sincere in his words. "I love you and I want you to come with me. You probably don't have much time until you and Monty have a fight and they'll stupidly choose him over you. I want you to join me and my group, where you'll be appreciated..." He held out his hand and smiled sadly. Barbara stepped forward, right up to his face. For a moment she smiled pleasantly, but her words were dark and laced with venom. "I know you like to stab people in the back....I kinda like watching their face twist in pain when I stab them head-on." She muttered, taking out her knife and jabbing it into his stomach. Caleb hunched over in pain and Barbara turned on her heel to run away.

Caleb watched her leave and gently gripped the weapon's handle. "Barbara...." He whispered, hearing footsteps behind him. "Caleb, mate? You alright?" A man with a British accent ran up, cringing at the sight of the knife stuck in Caleb. "Fine, Ben...just...Fuck!" In one movement, he pulled the blade from himself. "We're getting out, now. Come on, chap!" Ben helped Caleb walk, taking him back to the jeep.

Michael, with the group a fair distance from the power plant, motioned for everyone to stop. "Missing...Matt...and...Barbara..." He panted out, before taking a look at the immense amount of Rotten entertaining the building. Monty muttered something under his breath, but no one heard him. "...They're probably dead..." Michael added, watching as the jeep drove in the direction away from them. Just then, Barbara was seen running up to them. She waved her arm wildly, getting their attention. "Sorry! Ran into a bit of trouble!" She explained, now caught up. Gus stared at the horizon, hoping to see Matt. Nothing.

"I'm going to get Matt." He stated calmly, already starting to walj. Michael sighed and caught up with him, pulling on his shoulder. "He's probably dead! Or just fucking bleeding out, okay?! We have to go!" He barked, not loosening his grip. "I need to go find him! FUCKING let me GO!" Gus managed to pull away and continued to head off. "We won't wait for you!" He watched Gus tense up and almost thought he was going to change his mind. "Matt and I made a promise. He never left me and I refuse to ever leave him...again." And with that, Gus ran off.

***

Gus ran as fast as he could towards the power plant, avoiding Rotten the best he could. "Matt! MATT!" He calleb out, making it inside. A few Rotten began to surround him and he quickly shot the first one, kicking the second away and shooting it, too. When he turned to the third, though, it was already too late. It bit into Gus' arm only a little before he managed to shoot it. His heart dropped and he kept staring at the wound. A few curses left him and he felt panicked. He was fucking bit and he was turning. There was still Matt to find, though, wherever he was.

Not too far away, Gus noticed a trail of blood and followed it to the closet. He put away his gun and carefully opened the door, peeking inside. When his eyes landed on Matt, bleeding out, he nearly screamed. Instead, he ran to his friend's side and picked him up in his arms. The two were now on the ground, both dying. Tears streamed down Gus' face and he shook uncontrollably. "Matt...Matt?" He asked quietly, watching the blonde's eyes flutter open. "H..ey. You're calling me...by my name." He commented, voice breaking up at a few words. Gus smiled for a split second and he nodded. "Fate's fucked with us plenty...doesn't matter anymore.." He whispered.

"Why...you came back?" Matt's face contorted in confusion and he was barely breathing. Gus rapidly nodded his head. "I wasn't going to fucking leave you...we're a team. Aren't we?" Both of their voices were soft and weak, but they didn't care. "Til death, bud...til death." Matt smirked, but his eyes were barely open, threatening to shut at any moment. "Fuck you and your cliche's." Gus mumbled, sniffling a bit. "Hey...don't cry. It's alright." Matt promised with a smile. Gus shook his head no and showed Matt the bite mark. He nearly gasped at the sight, but just sat there dumbfounded. "I have to watch you die...and then so do I..." Gus explained, completely serious.

"On..the bright side, we...we don't break our promise." Matt pointed out with a faint smile. "I guess not..." Gus quietly agreed. "Thanks, Gus...for...everything. I'm...going to miss you...but, hey...don't..........don't..............for......get......." Matt's chest stopped moving and his eyes closed peacefully. Gus stayed silent and held his breath. "Matt? Oh...fuck...Fuck!" He shook his head no in disbelief. He couldn't lose him, not yet, not fucking yet! They promised! "MATT! Fucking wake UP! Don't! Don't LEAVE ME!" Gus screamed, crying inbetween sentences. He wiped at his eyes, but realized it wasn't doing much. "Fuck you! Fuck you for being so FUCKING perfect! You god damn asshole! Fuck!" He gently pressed his forehead to Matt's and sobbed against him. He was still eerily warm.

"Don't...leave...me...alone...." Gus cried out inbetween harsh intakes of breath.

Ray led the group to the store he and Gavin had scavenged from recently and pointed to a couple vehicles. "Over there. We can probably fix them up and use them." He explained, everyone a bit out of it. People were crying quietly to themselves, scared and missing the ones they lost. Michael nodded and motioned for Ryan to follow and help him out. The two then began to work on the cars, hoping to get them to work and to get out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any tears I may have caused ;A;  
> So a few things to mention: Brandon was killed by Caleb's group. He didn't know anything about where they were, so they deemed him useless and killed him. Caleb was the guy with the baseball hat Ray saw back when Gavin passed out. Caleb honestly did love Barbara, but well, you know.  
> If you have any questions, feel free to ask!


	21. Hollow Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to get a couple chapters out this weekend  
> It'll mostly be the characters dealing with the loss u-u

Lindsay sat with her knees close to her chest. The world around her was quiet mumbles and blurry images, something she couldn't quite comprehend. The moment replayed in her mind over and over, blood everywhere, the sound of a gun shot echoing. How could Kerry be dead? He was just there, not even an hour ago, but now he was gone. Everything went by so fast, incomplete thoughts and actions melding together to form something broken. Her best friend was completely and utterly gone from her life. Yet, this WAS her life. Constant loss and uncertain motives shadowing the very little humanity they managed to hold on to. It all blacked their hearts and destroyed their sanity, leaving them just as hollow as the Rotten.

There was someone next to her, trying to get her attention, but Lindsay couldn't get her head straight. She was simply lost in her thoughts without a chance to escape. Barbara sighed and gently stroked Lindsay's hair. "Alright...I'll try again later...just...rest up." Barbara was amazingly calm for her current circumstances. Still, she refused to get near the other survivors, volunteering to watch after the stunned Lindsay. At this point, she was still in shock, so her mind wasn't quite reacting to what had happened. Sure, she felt betrayed, hurt, used, but none of it seemed to register in her mind. So there she sat with Lindsay, watching to see if her expression and barely blinking eyes ever changed. They hadn't yet.

Michael, from beside a pick up truck they were fixing up, motioned for Barbara to come closer. The blonde got up and very gently whispered to Lindsay before walking over and meeting Michael halfway. "How...how is she?" He asked with a shaking voice. The leader wasn't so good looking right now, either. Michael had taken quite the impact from the deaths that had just occurred and it showed onhis face. Unnaturally pale skin and still wide eyes gave away just how scared he was. "Her, uh...condition hasn't changed. I'll let you know if it does." Barbara very promptly explained and went to leave again. Michael just nodded absent-mindedly.

Ryan glanced back and sighed, reaching for a wrench. He knew Michael wasn't all there anymore, lost in his own little world much like Lindsay. And though Ryan felt Michael deserved to pay for putting Lindsay in danger, he didn't deserve the inner turmoil of his mind. "Michael! Truck's almost ready! Go check on the RV, please!" Ryan called, snapping Michael out of his short-lived trance. The ginger glanced up and then wandered off to find Ray and Burnie working on the other vehicle. Hopefully they could get it running like they promised, or they were stuck here until morning. No one wanted to be here anymore, not so close to the Power Plant.

"It's all my fucking fault, I'm telling you!" Ray angrily barked while fixing up something on the RV. Gavin shifted uneasily and furrowed his brows. "How could it be? You didn't know..." He commented, staying a bit away from a clearly angry Ray. The Puerto Rican cursed a few times and he failed to get something working on the engine. "Gavin, he was THERE. Right fucking THERE when you passed out in the store! I saw the same baseball cap! It was Caleb!" He insisted, throwing a screwdriver to ground. The blonde flinched and kneeled to pick it up. "Whatever...it's too late to change it now. Burnie! Try now!"

Up at the driver's seat, Burnie gave a thumbs up and turned the key. The RV tried to turn on a few times and eventually started, the engine rumbling consistently. Gavin smiled faintly, but Ray's hardened expression remained unchanged. Nothing could put him in a better mood at this point. Michael then walked over, hands in his pockets and eyes unblinking. He muttered a small greeting. "Glad you guys got it working...uh, make sure it's ready to go soon...we won't be here much longer." The ginger's eyes trailed down and his voice was fairly soft. Ray stared with a softer expression and nodded. It was strange seeing Michael so defeated and so broken from the attack.

Joel and Chris watched in the direction of the power plant, both solemn and quiet. Suddenly, Chris decided to break the silence. "They're...not coming...right?" He asked, glancing at the older man. Joel scratched at his stubble and sighed through his nose. "No, we're safe. I think they fled after the Rotten got there and fucked everything." He explained, not even a bit of humor in his tone. Chris shook his head no and tensed up. "I wasn't talking about the bandits..." He muttered darkly. "Oh." Joel simply replied. "Gus and Matt, you mean..." His voice was increasingly quiet, almost inaudible at this point. "I...I don't think so." Joel's eyes were fixated down, staring at the dead blades of grass.

Monty mouthed numbers as he counted the supplies they managed to bring with them, Jack pacing beside him. The brunette suddenly stopped and huffed a little. His fierce eyes landed on Jack and he glared. "Do you mind not pacing? I'd like to get this counting done so we can get out of here." He harshly said, returning to his work. Jack stopped and almost spoke, but decided it was best not to. There was silence for a good minute when the sound of a tool being slammed to the ground got Jack's attention. "Jesus...guess not everyone's taking this as well as you are..." He muttered quietly. Monty's hand clenched around a can of food.

"Trust me, Jack. I'm not taking this very well." He stated plainly. "But you're so calm...I mean...we lost people and you're not even showing a hint of remorse." Jack was clearly confused, arms crossed over his chest. "...I'm devastated right now. But in order to not seem it, I must first acknowledge that I am and then accept it. I...once told Kerry something like that." Monty kept his face away from Jack, a single tear falling down his cheek. He refused to appear weak and he knew that if everyone else was losing their shit, he had to keep it together. Jack didn't say anything being at a loss for words.

A car drove up the road leading to the parking lot they were at. Everyone watched carefully, no one doing anything. As the vehicle stopped, everyone held their breath, until Miles and Arryn got out. "Got a car!" Arryn proudly called out, shaking the keys in her hand. Ryan gave a thumbs up after shutting the hood of the pickup truck he had just finished working on. Arryn glanced at Miles and frowned, still not used to the perpetually distressed look on his face. Miles felt guilty about Kerry, a pain in him that was overwhelming. He was somewhere inbetween what Lindsay and Michael were like. Functioning, but very limited to what he could do. Arryn didn't even trust him to drive the car up there after they found it.

Barbara was watching everyone until she heard a soft sob from beside her. She immediately turned to Lindsay and wrapped an arm around her to pull her closer. "Hey...shh, it's okay, let it out." She whispered, Lindsay very clearly sobbing now. "I-I'm...S-so scared." Lindsay managed to get out, shoving her face against Barbara's shoulder. The blonde sighed quietly, holding her friend closer. "It's okay you're only human, Linds." She turned her head to look at the power plant and felt her eyes water up. A part of her wished she went with Caleb and left all this behind.  
"Humans get scared."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Managed to fit a couple  
> 'they already said this but it's important to add again'  
> With Barbara and Monty uwu  
> So yeah, they have working vehicles now  
> whoo


	22. I Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whattt??? Stuff with other people?! UNHEARD OF

Caleb gently let his hand graze over the now wrapped wound across his abdomen. It was now just a dull pain, a lingering memory. With a heavy heart, he left the medical tent and squinted at the now rising sun. A sickness infested his stomach and he couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. He never lied to Barbara, about anything. Was it wrong, though? Was he still somehow in the wrong? It's not like he planned for any of that to happen and yet... He furrowed his brows and frowned, watching the other survivors in his group scurry around. "Here we go..."He muttered to himself, taking very slow steps. 

Every step took everything he could muster and he mostly wobbled about. Ben, from the distance, sighed and hurried over to help his friend. "Bloody hell, Caleb. I thought I told you to go to sleep?! You're in no condition to be wankering about like a bloody drunkard!!" He scolded, adjusting Caleb's body so that it rested against him. "...I...it wasn't supposed to be like this." Caleb whispered darkly. Ben's frown grew and he turned the two of them around to head back to the medical tent. "Don't go spouting nonsense on me..." He jokingly complained. Caleb opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

Once they were inside the tent, Ben slowly let Caleb down and sat him on the bed. He smiled briefly, but soon realized he wasn't going to get anything in response. "Caleb. Don't be like this, you twat." Ben had crossed his arms over his scrawny chest, glaring lightly. "All...all those people we killed...who KNOWS how many died?" Caleb looked up with eyes full of pain. Ben softened his expression, but stood his ground. "It's the bloody end of the world, mate. We can't let things like that get to us. It really doesn't help anyone." When there was no reply, Ben sighed and sat beside his old friend.

"Winter's coming. We NEED that electricity." Ben reminded him rather sternly. Caleb, unblinking, nodded his head and stared at his lap. The brit set a hand on Caleb's shoulder and shook him lightly. "We do what's best for the group. That's always how it's been. Come on, mate...cheers, kay? I...I need to go and checkup on the others. Rest, okay?" Ben stood and smiled before walking away and leaving Caleb by himself. The brunette blindly reached for his baseball cap and after a moment, found it. He held it in his hands and narrowed his eyes sadly at the specs of blood that were across the brim. A reminder of what he had just done.  
A reminder of everything he had done.

_Brandon struggled against the bindings, a few tears streaming down his face. The room was dark, a single light shone in his face to disrupt any chances of seeing. Panic had set in long ago and would return periodicallythroughout te days. He was starving, thirsty, and exhausted from the mental and sometimes physical torture he was forced to face. A man with intense eyes would come in every once in awhile, voice laced with venom. Brandon had no idea who it was, except that he would usually ask the questions that Brandon had no answers for. It was all just a dusty cloud of fear._

_Voices were heard outside. Arguing, probably, considering how loud and aggressive the words were. Brandon mentally prepared himself for the worst, until a man rushed in and turned off the flashlight. It took a moment, but Brandon's eyes adjusted and he saw a man in a baseball cap staring at him in shock. "Holy shit..." The man muttered, shaking his head no. The one British kid ran in after and harshly gripped the baseball capped guy's arm, pulling him away. "Bloody hell, Caleb! I told you not to go in here!" He barked violently. "The FUCK are you doing to this guy, Ben?!" Caleb screamed, trying to free himself of the tight grip. Brandon was almost completely confused, but he was starting to figure it out slowly. He really wished he wasn't gagged right then so that he could've spoken up._

_"We need information and he won't blab!" Ben explained, finally letting go. "You're treating him like a fucking ANIMAL! Let him GO!" Caleb insisted, wanting to rush over and help Brandon. Ben shook his head no and whispered something very quietly. It was then that the fierce looking man returned, boots crushing twigs beneath his feet. "Shannon! I'm sorry, I tried! Bu...but Caleb! He rushed inside!" Ben pleaded, pointing a finger at Caleb. The tall man said nothing and very slowly took a few steps until he was beside Brandon. "Austin found the power plant. We don't need this one anymore." Shannon's voice was lower than usual and he drew his gun, holding it to Brandon's head._   
_Everyone's eyes widened and they watched, holding their breath. It was the longest few seconds they had ever felt in their lives. Then, the trigger was pulled._

_Brandon's last thought was of Chris._

Chris woke up, gasping for air and sweating. Beside him, Joel gave him a worried look and gently touched his shoulder. "Hey kid. You alright? Nightmare or something?" He asked quietly, not wanting to wake up the others in the RV. It was now early morning and they had been driving for awhile, taking shifts as to who had to drive what vehicle. Chris nodded weakly, not saying a word as he laid his head back down. Joel nodded in response and readjusted himself as well. Everything was quiet in the world, no more tears or yelling, just silence. Chris wrapped his arms around himself tightly and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.


	23. Almost Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since I updated, sorry u-u

Michael slowed down the RV, signalling for the others to stop as well. A small clearing in an otherwise dead looking forest was about fifteen feet away. There was a set up of logs and a circle of stones forming what was once a fire pit. A dead body lay atop of it, clearly burned to prevent them from turning. Lindsay stared at it intensely, but said nothing, her eyes puffy from crying so much. Michael turned his head and looked back at the sleeping survivors. They were all so exhausted, still resting well into daylight. He honestly couldn't blame them, but there was work to be done. Work even Michael himself couldn't even begin to do. He sighed and opened the RV door.

Step by step he managed to get to the fire pit, Lindsay following close behind. Everything was silent, no animals skittered about and the wind wasn't blowing like it used to. Without any words, Michael grabbed a nearby stick and began pushing the charred body off and away from the fire pit. A tear fell down Lindsay's cheek, but she simply looked away. Ryan and Burnie, having pulled up their respective cars behind the RV, made their way over. At seeing Lindsay's still red face, Ryan gently wrapped an arm around her and frowned. He then looked forward and watched as Michael pushed away the body. "When did everything get so fucked?" Burnie whispered to himself, eyes narrowed.

When Michael returned, Burnie jerked a thumb behind him, trying to talk to Michael alone for a moment. The ginger lazily nodded and avoided eye contact with either Ryan or Lindsay. Once alone, Burnie swallowed hard and inhaled deeply. "Michael," He started, voice already weak. "You look like shit. Worse than that, you're acting like shit, too. What's going on? Everyone needs a leader right now and you're so far gone it's like you aren't even alive right now!" Burnie waited for a response, but Michael just remained stoic. "Fucking...you need to talk to me. Now." Burnie demanded. "...People died. On my watch." Michael muttered bitterly. His apathetic expression turned sour, eyebrows furrowed in anger and fists clenching at his sides. Burnie shook his head.

"That doesn't matter. We've all lost people and you're acting like it's all on you. The burden of death isn't for one person to hold on their own. You either need to get your act together or..." Burnie paused and sighed. "Or what?" The ginger finally made eye contact, a stern glare greeting Burnie. "Or someone else needs to lead." With that, Burnie walked away and left Michael alone with his thoughts. "Someone...else..." Michael breathed and lowered his head. When Geoff died, he had trusted Jack to lead the group, but Jack couldn't handle it. So Michael stepped up in Geoff's honor, trying so hard to keep everyone alive. Now, though, he had so many people to keep safe, it was all overwhelming. Maybe it was time for some change.

Slowly, people began to wake up, the bright sun of the day shining on them. Still, nothing could lift their spirits after the night they just had. Barbara watched as people busied themselves with small tasks and scurried around as if they weren't hurting. She knew better, saw it in their sluggish movements and dreary eyes. Matt, Gus, and Kerry all died and the group felt significantly smaller, though there was still a hefty amount of survivors. More than ten at least. Barbara brushed her hair out of her face and leaned back against the car Miles and Arryn found at some hotel parking lot. She knew she didn't have much time until everyone in the group needed someone to blame. Quite obviously, she would end up being that someone, considering her relationship with Caleb. When that time came she would have to make a choice.

Burnie tried his hardest to get everyone organized and got them focused on food and sheltering. He scratched at his growing beard and sighed, Joel standing beside him. "It's not easy, is it?" The older man asked, faintly smiling. "No, it's not. But someone has to lead these people." Burnie answered casually. "That's not what I meant." Joel said quietly and wandered off before Burnie could even ask. He never could understand the inner workings of Joel's mind. Sometimes he was a huge idiot and a goofball, but other times he was serious and incredibly intelligent. This time, Burnie just wasn't sure WHAT he was.

"Burnie." Burnie turned to see Michael, face still pale and eyes dark with exhaustion. His voice was scratchy and he just seemed completely broken. "What's up?" Burnie asked warily, tilting his head in question. Michael scratched at the back of his head and shifted his weight from leg to leg. "You're right. I'm not...fit to lead right now. You should." His eyes met Burnie's and the older man swallowed. "Are you sure? Me?" He responded quietly. "Burnie, when I first met you, you were weak and afraid. Too scared to do much of anything and certainly not what I expected from a leader. But then I remembered what first made me think ofyou as a leader. You didn't back down when you randomly bursted into the power plant. You spoke for your group and you protected them." Michael explained.

"Protected them? They're dead now. Brandon, Matt, and Gus. All dead. If you're not fit to lead, then what am I? Incapable!?" Burnie suddenly snapped, causing Michael to flinch very slightly. "You didn't let me finish. I've seen you at your lowest and now, right here...this is your highest. You're good under stress, youve always been. The group needs you right now, more than ever. I...I can't...I need to look after Lindsay and no one else. Please, Burnie. Please." Michael's pleading eyes calmed Burnie and made him think. And as he did, he thought back to every stressful situation and the way he acted. There was merit to Michael's words without a doubt. "Alright. I'll do it. But as soon as things settle down, I'm handing the title back to you." Burnie extended his hand and waited for Michael to shake it in agreement.


	24. Edge of Running Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see how much of this I can actually write this weekend

As night once again fell, the group of survivors were just as quiet as before. Michael held Lindsay close to him, her face still pale and eyes heavy with exhaustion. She had barely found time to sleep during the drive to this campsite and was busy for the rest of the day. Michael worried for her health, but figured she would fall asleep soon enough. The fire infront of them sparked and spread a faint glow across their faces, illuminating the sadness and fatigue. Ryan glanced over at Lindsay and quietly sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. She wasn't alright and it was all Michael's fault, he had fucked up. The biochemist knew something had to be done about that.

Miles stared blankly at the fire, eyebrows furrowed. Kerry and his argument rang in his ears, bringing back a sickness that stirred in his stomach. Now Kerry was gone, without any way of saying goodbye. Arryn watched her boyfriend closely, concerned for his well-being. Since the attack he hadn't spoken a word, just did what he was told and sulked around. It was scaring her, she didn't know what to do at all. What had he become now? An empty shell of what he once was? There was no more light in his eyes, no more optimism for when everything got bad. This wasn't Miles anymore, this wasn't who she loved.

Joel poked at the fire with a stick, embers of the burning wood bursting into the air and falling as white ash. It looked a bit like snow, but the smoky scent dismissed that illusion rather quickly. "Tomorrow...we need to survey the area and figure out our next move." Burnie quietly spoke, breaking the near silence. "Our next move?" Ray bitterly asked from next to Gavin. "What else is there to do now? It's nearly winter and not only have we lost the power plant, but we might have some batshit crazy bandits after us!" Ray angrily kicked at the ring of rocks that surrounded the fire, but ended up hurting his foot and cringing. "Then what do you suggest, Ray? We just give up?!" Burnie barked back in response. Gavin whispered something to Ray and the anger washed away from the brunette.

"Giving up might not be the answer, but...Ray has a point. What ARE we going to do?" Jack asked weakly. He received no answer at first, since no one knew what to say. "Die." Chris darkly muttered, everyone's eyes landing on him. "Chris..." Joel breathed, about to reach out to comfort the kid. "You're all pathetic." Now everyone turned to stare at Monty, who had stood up. "This is far from the end and you should know that. People die and it's terrible, but we can't linger on that unless we want it to kill us all inside. Kerry, Gus, Matt...everyone who we've cared about that died...they aren't suffering anymore and they'd want us to continue on. We are SURVIVORS...we can't be weak. I know we all can beat this if we just keep going. Don't give up." With that, Monty walked away and opened the RV door, promptly entering and closing it behind him.

Barbara remained silent, watching through narrowed eyes as everyone spoke. This was it, whether they all knew it or not. This was the group pushed to an edge and people were now forced to make a choice for themselves. Give up and jump or fight back. Both options led to death eventually, but it just meant how long you'd force the pain to keep going. She stood as well, leaving without a word and heading towards the truck Ryan had fixed up. She had just about enough that day and needed her rest. Jack had noticed her leave, but made no move to do anything. He knew she probably needed her space right now, considering the circumstances. Caleb had hurt her deeply and she needed time...that was all.

In the woods, a man careful trecked, trying to stay hidden from the Rotten around the corner. He suddenly paused, reaching up and retrieving a dead rabbit he had managed to trap. A smile spread across his face and he closely inspected the animal to be sure it was healthy to eat. Sure, he felt bad that a poor creature had to die, but he had to survive, just a bit longer. Just as long as he could. The man safely tucked away the small rabbit and hurried, glad his eyes had adjusted well to the dark all around him. His shelter wasn't too far and he just had to reach it before anything noticed. After a few minutes, the cabin came into view. It was small, nearly rotted wood barely holding its form together.

As he drew closer, he noted the window on the side would need to be fixed up, unless he wanted something to just casually enter from the side. There was a hole in the roof and whoever actually owned this place obviously hadn't been here since everything started. Still, he had only been here about two days and didn't plan to stay much longer. The moon was high in the sky and as he opened the door, he almost felt like he could smell the faint scent of smoke in the distance. He tried hard to smell it again, but there was nothing. Perhaps he had just imagined it. Afterall, who else would be out here? There really couldn't be that many people still alive.

Right?


	25. Distant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running out of chapter titles omg

A couple days passed, the survivors solemnly working towards pieceing themselves back together. Some tried harder than others, forcing smiles and trying to lighten the mood. Joel and Gavin were excellent examples of that, both attempting so hard to get others to move on and accept that this was the next step in their lives. Joel would tease Chris and joke around with Ryan, but neither one responded very well. Gavin spent even more time with Ray, if that was possible, telling him humorous stories of his childhood much like he did with Barbara back at that power plant. Most stories made Ray smile or chuckle softly, but there was no doubt he was different now, for whatever reason.

There were other survivors who tried to get people to accept what happened and let it go, like Monty and Burnie, but there was little success. Monty continued to talk about the importance of surviving and the optimism that they needed to have. He himself had little faith in his own words, however, and felt each day put pressure on his shoulders. Burnie managed to stay the most hopeful, directing the group in whatever way he could and offering an apathetic opinion on the matter. Deep down he really believed that everything would be alright, that everyone died for a reason and that the others were resting peacefully beyond the grave. He needed those thoughts to keep himself going every now and again.

Then, there were certain people in the group traumatized by the events of the attack. Those who could barely get out of bed and greet the day anymore. They weren't suicidal, not even close, they were just hurt. Deeply and perpetually hurt by everything. Lindsay and Miles both heavily depended on other people to keep them going. If it wasn't for Michael, Lindsay would have forgotten to eat or drink, too caught up in the loss to register her own existence. It was like time stopped, but still continued without telling her. Miles, though usually so cheerful and friendly, was finally beaten, unable to process the fact that people were gone. Really, truly gone.

Things weren't really improving and deep down, people like Barbara and Chris knew they could only get worse. Winter was all around them and Rotten infested the town that was near them, so food wasn't exactly plentiful. Whenever shit hit, it hit hard.

Jack took heavy steps up the hill, a bucket of clean water in his clenched fist. The air was oddly cold this year, cold enough he could see the warmth of his own breath as he panted. Since the start of summer when this all happened, he had lost quite a bit of weight, much like the others, and everyone was looking a bit sickly. With his free hand, he scratched at his beard and made it up to their camp. Barbara glanced over from where she was fixing a broken trap they found a day ago. She smiled fondly at her only friend and he smiled back, giving a very small wave. "Fixing that old thing?" He called as he made his way over.

"Yeah, we might be able to get some real protein if we set it up right..." She explained, pulling at some vegetation caught in it. "Or we'll catch a Rotten like how we found it..." Jack teased, smirking. Barbara rolled her eyes at him and continued to work on it. "Oh shut up and go put away the water." She told him with a slight snap in her voice. He chuckled and headed towards the RV, opening up the door. "Hey! Where are the others?" He asked as he set down the bucket next to another inside. "A lot of them are out getting food and shit, but some are in the tents!" She lazily jerked her head in the direction of the pop-up tents they had found a couple days ago.

Jack nodded to himself and closed the vehicle's door before making his way back over. "Oh, and Ryan was looking for you like ten minutes ago." Barbara quickly added, accidentally cutting herself on a bit of the metal and cursing under her breath. "Hey, careful. I'll get you a band-aid..." Jack once again went back to the cars and found the first-aid in the back on the pickup truck. "What'd Ryan want, anyway?" He asked while getting the neosporin and a band-aid. "I dunno, something about finding a cabin in the woods, but he wanted you to check it out with him." She explained, looking closely at her finger.

Jack quickly returned and sat on the log beside her, gently grabbing her hand and applying the necessary items to her small wound. "A cabin, huh? Might explain the trap we found...there could be someone out there." He spoke quietly, wrapping the band-aid around her finger. "Jack, I could've done this myself, you realize." Barbara looked at him with a sideways frown. "Yeah, I know. I still wanted to, though. Just be more careful, alright?" He grinned and she rolled her eyes with a faint smile spread across her lips. Even if no one one else cared much for her, Jack was always around. He still cared.

"Ah, Jack! There you are." Ryan walked up from one of the paths, a bag slung over his shoulder. Odd how he never did lose that bag, it had been with him since he had first met Jack and the others. "Hey, Ryan! What's this I hear about a cabin in the woods?" Jack asked, standing up and facing his friend. "It looks rather old and decrepit, so I figured we should check it out. You in?" Ryan smiled, eyes lighting up very slightly. Jack gave a single nod and smiled in return. "Sure. I'll see you later, Barbara." He waved goodbye to the blonde and followed Ryan deeper into the woods. "Be careful!" Barbara called after him, chuckling at the irony of her statement.


	26. Vacant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY WANT TO JUST GET TO THE NEXT PLOT POINT, BUT IT TAKES SOME BUILD UP, SORRY

Ryan's feet trampled over twigs and leaves, the sound seeming so loud amongst the silence of the forest. "When I found it, it looked completely broken down, but there was a gun outside on the porch, so I figured we should check it out, right?" Ryan explained to Jack while still walking. A cold breeze blew up against the bearded man and he shivered for a moment before speaking. "Yeah, that almost sounds like someone could be living in there. We haven't seen anyone, though..." His eyes scanned their surroundings, as if he expected to see a stranger only a few feet away.

"That WOULD explain the various dead Rotten and the miscellaneous traps scattered around. Speaking of which, did Barbara get that one fixed yet?" Ryan glanced behind him in time to see Jack shake his head no. "She'll get it soon, but you know her, a bit of a clutz. Cut herself on some of the metal just this morning." They both chuckled, the cabin seen now in the distance. "Well...that's it. Let's be quiet." Ryan whispered, signalling for Jack to keep low and keep quiet. He nodded in response and did just that, staying a few feet behind the biochemist. The cabin drew closer, but Ryan immediately noted the gun wasn't there anymore. "Gun's gone. They might be, too." He muttered lowly.

Jack headed up the porch slowly, footsteps causing the old and decaying wood to creak almost eerily. The door infront of him was boarded up poorly and the windows, too, though there was no more glass to really identify them as windows. A huge gaping hole in the roof had a tree branch entering and growing in it. The old wood cabin was practically one with the vegetation that engulfed it. Jack peeked inside through the busted windows and saw no one. "It's clear, let's check it out." He called to Ryan, no longer whispering under his breath. The blonde made his way up the stairs and opened the front door, immediately forced to squint due to the lack of lighting.

"Well, it's dark as shit it here. Have a flashlight?" Jack handed Ryan his flashlight and stayed a bit back, being overly wary as always. When Ryan managed to turn on the light, he was greeted with a rather normal sight. Or at least, one he was used to by now. A dead, rotting man was sat in a chair at the far corner, surrounded by unlit candles. Ryan let out a sigh and continued to shine the light elsewhere. A counter top was filled with empty food cans and old rusted knives and traps, things for hunting. A single piece of paper was taped to a cupboard a few feet away.

"What do you see?" Jack asked, once again quieting his voice. "Dead body. Empty cans. Knives, traps, hubting materials, but all of them rusted beyond repair. And a note." Ryan listed rather apathetically while he stepped up to the paper. His hand reached for it, but he didn't rip it off, just examined it closely. Jack finally found his courage and entered as well, standing just a bit behind Ryan. "What's it say?" He muttered curiously. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed slightly and he tilted his head. "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead." Ryan read casually. "An Albert Einstein quote."

The atmosphere felt heavy and Jack said nothing, staring at the paper. "That's...mocking...mocking everything that's happened." He muttered coldly, unable to move. "I suppose it is." Ryan agreed, wandering away from it and leaving the younger man alone. His walking brought him to the traps and knives and his gaze lingered on them. If the man dead in the corner really was the one who set those traps up, how exactly were these that rusty? The body seems almost a month or two old and the first rain happened a matter of weeks ago. Of course, the rust could have been from something else, or occurred before the dead started walking, but still.

After a couple minutes, Ryan round himself infront of the dead man. His face was beyond recognition, but he doubted he would've known who it was anyway. Jack came up behind him and frowned, nervously griiping the strap of his backpack. "Poor guy. Guess we were right, kind of. There WAS someone else here." Jack said mostly to himself. Ryan's face remained stoic, going through all the information he gathered. "No, things don't add up. The gun's missing, the rusty traps, the way he's even sat here...there has to be someone else. There's a knife wound in his head, one that he couldn't have done to himself..." Ryan's eyes narrowed, piecing things together one by one. "This is a memorial set up for him. Someone came here and set this all up."

Jack, eyes filled with concern, glanced at his friend. "Are you sure? I mean, you could've imagined the gun. Heck, those traps could be from way long ago! I think we really should just get out of here and forget about it." Jack tried to convince Ryan, but the matter was settled in his own head. "There could be a SURVIVOR out here, Jack! We can't just leave!" He barked rather suddenly, now turned towards Jack. The bearded man, paused a moment, but soon started to leave. "We can't worry about every possible survivor, Ryan. We need to worry about our own group, and right now, there's nothing of use to them here."

The biochemist rolled his eyes and angrily followed Jack out the front door. "We could be leaving them to die! Abandoni--" He stopped midsentce, noticing Jack stopped as well when he saw Michael. "Though I heard you two over here. What's this place?" Michael asked as he raised his eyebrow. "Uh, it's a cabin. Dead guy lived here." Jack very briefly explained as he jerked his thumb behind him. "There's a possible survivor wandering around. I intend on waiting for him here, but Jack refuses to believe that." Ryan explained slightly better. "What makes you say there's another survivor?" Michael's voice was suddenly weaker, as if the word 'survivor' alone hit him in his gut.

"I saw a gun earlier and now it's gone, there are rusty traps inside, and the body has been dead at least a month, probably more." Ryan stared down Michael, neither man emoting much. "Jack, how about you head back to camp and ask if anyone's picked up a gun from the woods. Ryan and I will stay here and see if anyone shows." Michael offered, rather fairly on his part, and Jack immediately agreed, glad to leave the creepy decrepit cabin behind him. Ryan and Michael simply continued to stare eachother down, neither one looking away.  
Ryan finally had him alone. Finally.


	27. All Is Fair In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOTS FIREDDDD

"What do you plan to do when the survivor gets here?"  
"Fucking shoot him."

That had been two minutes ago and the tension of Michael's words hung heavy in the air. Ryan wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, so he simply stood there for the two minutes. "Why?" He asked quietly, assuming Michael would still remember what he was asking about. "Because I didn't last time." Michael's gun was in his hand and his eyes stayed glued on the trees straight ahead of him, the abin behind him. "Because people died last time." He added firmly. "You can't push that kind of blame onto some survivor we haven't even met yet. You're the only one to blame, so accept it." Ryan bitterly proclaimed, eyes narrowing harshly.

Michael turned around slowly, putting his gun away again. The glare spread across his face was intense and nearly caused Ryan to back down. "Excuse me? What'd you fucking say?" He spat back, venom lining his words. "I said it was your fault. I thought you would've known that. After all, you not only failed to protect two people, let another go back to just die, and just gave up your leadership immediately after...you put Lindsay in immense danger." Ryan spoke with confidence and took a few steps forward, towering over Michael already. "Fucking hell! You're still fucking upset about Lindsay not choosing you?! That's what this fucking is, right?!"

Ryan huffed in annoyance and felt himself bristle with rage. "No! This is about your failure to protect the group and those you allegedly care about! I'm sick of your attitude and you're inability to save anyone but yourself! Geoff was right to want Jack to lead! He would've been ten times as great a leader as you!" Michael now was shaking with anger as he just took what Ryan was shouting at him. Every ounce of him screamed to just kill that mother fucker right then and there. "Fuck you! You fucking waste of air! Fucking going around like you fucking know the ins and fucking outs of this god damn apocalypse! Talking shit like you have room for your fucking god damn opinion and thinking you have the fucking balls to KEEP PEOPLE FUCKING ALIVE! Well you ain't SHIT, HAYWOOD!" Michael was breathing heavily, but he wasn't even close to done yet.

"You fucking think just cause you were some kinda fucking scientist that you can fucking say whatever shit you want and push people fucking around! I won't put up with your shit! I'm god damn fucking TIRED of you! Lindsay never fucking loved you! Get the FUCK over it! You're fucking worthless! She would NEVER love you! All you're good for is Rotten BAIT, YOU FUCK!" Michael's voice continued to crack and his face was absolutely red from screaming at the top of his lungs. Ryan managed to appear apathetic the entire time, watching and listening closely. No more words were said after that, because almost simultaneously, both of them swung their fists and tried to practically kill eachother.

Ryan managed to get his hands around Michael's throat, but the younger man kneed him and caused him to drop to the ground. As he went to kick Ryan, though, the biochemist gripped his ankle and twisted it harshly, Michael now falling to the ground in pain. He managed to use his good foot, though, and kicked Ryan square in the nose. Blood gushed from it, but Ryan didn't give a shit. He scrambled to get over to Michael and landed a punch against his jaw, the ginger cursing loudly. The attack only momentarily stunned him, and soon he had Ryan under him as he beat his face over and over again. Ryan got his knees under Michael's stomach and forcibly got him off, the ginger landing face first in the ground. Breathily heavily and bloody, Ryan gripped Michael's curly hair and repeatedly slammed his head into the ground as the younger man struggled against his grip.

This went on for quite some time, both of them struggling to seriously injure the other. Blood covered their faces and dirt layered their clothing as they fought. Ryan managed to rip a chuck of Michael's hair out and Michael thoroughly injured Ryan's right leg, but really neither of them got anywhere. It wasn't until a voice started to yell at them did they realize that someone else was there. "Hey! Stop! Fucking stop!" A man gripped the back of Michael's shirt and tore him away from Ryan, shoving him a good ten feet away. "STOP!" The man shouted again, finally getting the two to look at him and not at eachother.

"Wh...wh...who the..fuc...k...are...you?" Michael managed to get out, although he was breathing heavily and occasionally spitting up blood from his mouth. Ryan got up rather shakily, his usual apathetic face completely demolished as he faced the stranger. His anger had gotten the best of him and now he would face the consequences. The stranger smiled sadly, clearing his throat and nervously wetting his lips. "Uh, well...perhaps I should ask who you guys are first? I mean, I did just stop you from killing eachother!" He announced almost proudly. He waited patiently for Michael and Ryan to gather their wits enough to actually form a reply.

"M...Michael."  
"Ryan."  
"Nice to meet you guys...I guess. I'm Jordan Cwierz!"


	28. Blood, Bones, And Bow Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I can include my favorite employee at Rooster Teeth uwu  
> JORDAN CWIERZ IS HERE EVERYBODY!

Michael must have stared at Jordan for a long time, because he most certainly looked beyond uncomfortable before he spoke again. "Uh...you alright?" He asked quietly, making no move to come closer or leave for that matter. Jordan Cwierz was an interesting survivor, to say the least. His once white dress shirt was covered in dried blood around the cuffs and the nice dark blue vest he had was splattered with mud and various grime. The bow tie snug around his neck was also dark blue and really gave him an appearance of sophistication. Still, it did seem a bit odd for him to be dressed like that, perhaps he was a teacher or something before everything happened?

Jordan smiled nervously and slowly raised up his arm to try and shake hands with Michael. The ginger hesitated, but eventually reached out to take the dapper man's hand in his own. Just as Jordan felt more relaxed, however, Michael pulled and twisted Jordan's arm around his back. He cursed in pain and once again felt rather terrified. "Jordan, right? You're going to fucking come with us." Michael harshly whispered behind him, grabbing his gun and pressing it to Jordan's head. Ryan watched carefully and glanced at Michael, scowling very slightly. He knew he should try and do something, but...Michael could pull the trigger in an instance. It was best to play along for now.

"Wh-what do you want from me?" Jordan asked, visibly shaking. "Shut the fuck up and start walking!" Michael growled, shoving Jordan forward by the arm. The two began heading back to the camp and Ryan followed suit, very mindful of his distance from Michael. As they made their way back, Ryan noted the gun Jordan had and a pack of most likely food slung over his shoulder. While he didn't look like the most prepared survivor they'd met, he certainly had to be capable to some extent. He HAD survived this long, by himself from the looks of it. His nervousness around them could have been because they were fighting and covered in blood, but it almost seemed more likely because he hadn't seen anyone in a long while.

Ryan hissed in pain every time he took a step on his right leg, remembering just how badly Michael had messed it up. Still, he felt satisfaction seeing a bald spot on the back of Michael's head. Then his gut sank again as he made a very sudden realization. While he didn't regret what he and Michael did, there was the matter of everybody seeing them. Lindsay, most notably, would be even more devastated than she already was. It pained him to have her see what his blind fury and jealousy made him at times. Another hiss of pain escaped through his lips as he found himself stepping over a few rocks. The walk felt longer than any before.

As they reached the camp, there was Jack and Barbara, casually chatting by the fire pit. When Jack heard footsteps, he turned and felt his eyes widen. Michael and Ryan both looked terrible, and the man Michael held hostage didn't have a scratch on him. "Holy shit! What happened!?" Jack yelled out, running up to meet them. "Fuck! Are you guys okay?!" Barbara added, staying where she was. After the first two shouts, the other survivors around camp came out of the tent and out from behind the RV. Lindsay was among them, as well as Burnie and Monty. With a knowing and disappointed stare, Burnie approached them cautiously.

"Why?" He asked plainly, voice too quiet for the crowd behind him to hear. "Michael made a choice." Ryan replied bitterly, limping away from them. Barbara asked if he needed help and he waved her off, heading towards the RV door. Burnie's gaze then fell on Michael, and he did not look pleased. "The fuck happened out there? The two of you just decided to punch your frustrations away? What the hell, Michael? And who the fuck is this?" Question after question, Michael remained stoic. "Jordan is his name. And I don't trust him." Expertly avoiding the first part of Burnie's questioning, the younger man shoved Jordan into Jack's arms.

Burnie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fucking...fine. Jack, until we know more about this guy, tie his wrists and put him in the truck." He turned to the bearded man as he spoke, watching his face closely. "O...kay. Sure." He muttered, dragging a very scared looking Jordan away. Monty then walked over, raising an eyebrow. "Another survivor? Surprised there's many left." He commented cooly. Burnie nodded in response, eyes falling on Michael. "He could be part of Caleb's group, we never know. While I don't necessarily agree with Michael's methods, I guess he was right to do what he did." Monty huffed in response and wandered off once more.

Jack pushed Jordan against the cool metal of the pickup truck and held him their while rope was tied around his wrists. "Sorry about this...really." Jack whispered as he opened up the truck and sat Jordan on the passenger's side. He locked it from the inside and closed the door. "What..what do you want from me?" Jordan quietly asked, still shaking out of fear. "Nothing, it's just...we can't trust you yet. We've just lost a lot of people...to another group." He muttered darkly, eyes now casted down as he spoke. "I'm...sorry to hear that, really." The brunette sympathized, tilting his head slightly. "Not like it's your fault. Or, well...maybe it is, we don't know. Just, stay here." Jack left without another word, leaving Jordan by himself.

The rest of the survivors gossiped with eachother, trying desperately to figure out what was happening. Just as Burnie approached them, Gavin and Ray climbed up the hill and saw everyone gathered together. "What the bloody hell? What's wrong?" Gavin asked Ray, as if expecting him to know. The two made their way over and listened closely as Burnie started to speak. "Ryan and Michael found a survivor in the woods, alright? We can't necessarily trust him, so we're going to keep him in the truck for the time being and well...figure it out later. For now, it's getting dark. Joel, start up the fire, Barbara get the food rations for tonight, and Arryn?" He paused a moment, looking at her.

"Yes, Burnie?" Arryn responded, a bit quiet. "Watch the survivor for me, please? I don't want him somehow escaping." Burnie watched as she nodded in understanding and left, hesitantly leaving Miles as well. Burnie sighed again and saw Ryan leave the RV with his leg wrapped in some terribly made cast, then saw Michael, washing blood from his face. A darkness, a burning pure and raw dread, had been falling over everyone and yet, he never saw it coming. Blood. So much unnecessary bloodshed between groups, and HERE, here WITHIN the group, blood was shed. How was everything falling apart so easily?


	29. Lonely Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the big "season finale"  
> AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? Somethingggg BIG

Little did anyone know, Jordan would be in that truck for quite some time, spending many nights talking with Arryn as she spoke about herself and the life she knew and had come to know. It became a regular occurrence to the point that she offered to watch 'the captive'. Burnie disapproved of the nickname, but almost every other survivor had taken to it. Something about Jordan made people feel uneasy, but perhaps it was only because of the way Michael had initially treated him. Like an animal they trapped in the woods, people now saw him as a vulture in a cage, when really, he wasn't even close to that. Arryn would argue he was an injured dove.

The first night was a bit awkward with a distinct lack of talking. Jordan eyed the girl worryingly, not quite sure what to think of her, body still shaking from the scare he had received that night. Arryn sat in a folding chair, a blanket around her shoulders. With all the courage he could muster, Jordan cleared his throat and shifted in the truck's seat. "Can...can I ask what happened?" His voice was soft and sincere, gaining Arryn's attention. She glanced back at him, but quickly returned to staring blankly forward. "What do you mean?" She asked in reply. Jordan again shifted in his seat.

"I think I'm right to think that something had to have happened...you guys are scared of me, a stranger from the woods. Why?" Silence engulfed them and the air felt tense for a long while. Then, Arryn finally spoke again, speaking slowly and softly. "We lost a lot of people. To OTHER people." Jordan's eyes widened, because while he suspected as much, it was hard to hear. He figured after the way things happened, people wouldn't do shit like that. "Fuck, I'm, uh...sorry for your losses, really. I can understand taking, uh...precautions." He swallowed when he paused, a bit unsure of himself.

The rest of the night went by in silence. Chris brought Arryn food and a tiny bit for 'the captive' as well. She muttered her thanks and stood, setting her own food down and facing the truck's open window. Jordan watched her curiously, not sure what to think of her actions until a spoonful of food was an inch or so from his face. He gratefully enjoyed it as Arryn gave him small bits of food. Still, neither of them spoke, too afraid to hear their own voices. Jordan fell asleep soon after, head uncomfortably leaning against the only part of the window not put down. In the morning, an ugly red indent was left on his face.

The second night went better, but Arryn still refused to respond much, or really put any effort into getting to know Jordan. It had been ten minutes since Arryn wandered over, the same blanket draped over her shoulders. She had sat down, legs crossed and eyes staring at someone Jordan couldn't quite see near the fire pit. He decided if she wasn't going to say anything, maybe he should try reaching out to her. "Arryn, right? Uh...hey!" He cheerily spoke, but received nothing in return but a small look over her shoulder. "So..." Jordan added, but was soon interrupted much to his surprise.

"The people we lost, they were great. I never really got to know Matt or Gus, but I loved their back and forth humor. Matt was also such an optimistic guy, while Gus was totally optimistic. I always meant to talk to them, but...I always thought I'd have more time." Arryn let out a solemn sigh, drawing her knees to her chest. "There's never enough time, you know? I mean, Kerry was probably my closest friend besides Miles, but Miles is my boyfriend, so, yeah. And, and Kerry, when I saw him shot infront of me, I just..." Jordan could see her arm raising to wipe at her face and knew she was starting to cry. "I know I'm supposed to keep going, for them, and Miles, but...I don't know if I can." Her voice was also beginning to crack as she furiously wiped away tears.

"I just feel so...terrible and powerless." Jordan bit his lip, listening carefully and wishing he could reach out to comfort her. "Arryn? I know this might not help, but...Aristotle once said 'It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see that light.' and, uh...yeah." He trailed off a bit, sinking down in the seat. Arryn turned and looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to just spill that all out." She hiccuped quietly and the urge to hug her was strong for Jordan. "It's alright. I really don't mind. I mean, I prefer it over silence, heh." He chuckled nervously, shifting around.

Arryn smiled in response, nodding very slowly. "I know how you feel." She replied softly as Jordan felt himself getting tired. Soon he fell asleep and left Arryn to her own thoughts. He had no idea how much she knew that feeling, preferring anything over the silence she had to endure on a day-to-day basis. Still, she wasn't quite ready to spill her guts out about that and found that it might be best to keep most of her feelings to herself.

It was the third night that they really came to know eachother better. Jordan once again started it off, brightening up when Arryn had settled herself down in the usual spot, that same blanket draped over her shoulders. "Hey! Do you mind if I ask what you did before everything happened? Or, uh, is that too forward?" He chuckled nervously after asking, but continued to smile. "What I did? Uhh, I was looking for a job. I liked voice acting a lot, but it's hard to get a job in that industry. Luckily I had Miles to support me through it, since he actually had a job and all that." Arryn turned her chair toward the truck's window, a cute and small smile plastered on her face. "What about you?"

Jordan thought back and felt content for the first time in awhile. "I was an animator, but, uh, not big-time or anything like that. Just, some obscure kids show." He never stopped smiling while talking. "That's so awesome! I admire people who can follow their dreams. I was always told I would never make it." Arryn admitted, tilting her head to the side. "Well, as Michael Jordan once said, 'If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.' and I hold true to that." Jordan quoted easily, struggling to get comfortable. Arryn hummed quietly, looking up at him. "Why do you know so many quotes?" She asked suddenly.

"Uh, I wouldn't say I know THAT many, but...I used to have a bunch scattered around my apartment. I liked to remind myself certain things." Jordan explained, clearly very shy about the whole ordeal. Arryn giggled at him and shook her head. "No wonder you're so optimistic and cheery then. You were surrounded by positive things. But, you...you haven't changed. Even after all of this." She said in wonderment, eyeing him as if he was a piece of art. Jordan's face became slightly red and he sunk down in his seat. "Well, the Dalai Lama once said 'In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.' and I'd like to think he was right. I've lived like that as long as possible."

Arryn nodded, very slowly as if taking into consideration what Jordan had just told her. She very much enjoyed talking to him, and hoped that for once, there WAS enough time. Just enough that they could become friends and fight the sickness of depression that covered the world now. She loved his smile. He never stopped smiling. It wasn't long until the two fell asleep, talking about whatever they could think of. Their past, childhood, hopes, dreams, experiences, and anything else along the way. It looked like there was finally enough time, just this once.


	30. Time Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried writing this multiple times and kept losing all of my progress u-u /sighs/  
> Oh well! Here it is, so sorry it took so long.

As the next night came, Arryn was summoned to a group meeting by the fire pit. That night, she told Jordan goodbye before wandering over to the other survivors, her blanket still draped over her shoulders. Quite happy with the bit of extra warmth, she sat beside Miles, who simply stared blankly into the flames. With a sigh, Arryn glanced up at Burnie and studied his face closely. It hadn't been long since he took over leadership unannounced. Yet, his face was darker, older, even. The stress was already wearing him down and no one had even died yet. Still, there was food rations, infighting, Jordan..all of that to worry about.

When he went to start, he cleared his throat and everyone immediately looked towards him. "A few of you have brought it to my attention that...you don't feel safe here. You want to move on. I figured we should have a proper discussion about it and make a vote tonight." As soon as he finished, voices rose up from the small gathering. "We'd be taking a risk if we left!" "We're risking our lives by just fucking around here!" "We have no idea what's waiting for us out there, we should remain here." "Hell no! We need to GO. Soon." Burnie then stood, glaring everyone down.

"Shut up for one fucking second! Jesus, can't we be civil and orderly fucking human beings for just ONCE in our god damn lives?" No one responded or shouted out this time, to Burnie's relief. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let his eyes close as he readdressed the survivors. "Alright. Now! We're going to discuss this and figure it out. And by that I mean we put it to a vote, since you shit heads are pretty damn stubborn. Who votes we stay?" A number of hands shot up and Burnie quickly got to counting, soon realizing that it was definitely the minority. His eyes narrowed in a solemn way and he wetted his lips before speaking.

"Okay. I guess we'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon. Gather up as many supplies as you can in the morning and we'll pack up the cars to go." The group still remained silent. "That DOES bring up something else, though. What about the captive?" Burnie immediately regretted opening his mouth again, because everyone started to shout again, boicing their opinions very loudly. "Kill the fucker! We can't be responsible for his dumb ass!" "We can't just MURDER him! He's a survivor, just like us!" "Then we leave him behind, leave him to the Rotten!" "What are we, savages?! That's not right at all!" Burnie shouted once more and everyone grew quiet. "We put it to a vote."

The next morning, everyone was quick to leave the camp, off in search of supplies for the trip ahead of them. Pretty much everyone was gone, except Arryn, Miles, Burnie, and of course, Jordan. Arryn breathed hotly, watching as her breath came out in the form of steam. She giggled much like a child and saw Jordan grin from the corner of her eye. "What?" She barked at him, pretending to be offended. "Nothing. Just...enjoying your smile." Jordan admitted, blushing slightly. Arryn gave him a smirk and rolled her eyes. "Wow, cheesy much?" She teased him, coming closer to the vehicle. The captive shrugged his shoulders as much as he could and didn't respond.

For a moment, the two just stared at the other, smiling very slightly. Jordan's smile suddenly fell and he looked stricken with grief. "What's wrong?" She asked him quietly, furrowing her eyebrows. "I overheard everything, last night. The group voted to kill me." He muttered darkly, looking the saddest Arryn had ever seen. She reached out and gently gripped his shoulder. "I'm so sorry...I..couldn't change their minds. Burnie, Monty, Jack, and I tried so hard, but...the others wouldn't listen." She was already close to tears, voice cracking every few words. Jordan noticed and quickly formed a fake smile. "It's alright, everything will be fine, I'm sure."

Their moment was suddenly interrupted when Burnie slowly made his way over. "Hey Arryn!" He called to the brunette, gaining her attention. She tilted her head slightly and waited. "Do you mind doing me a favor?" He started as soon as he was infront of her. "Sure, what's up?" Arryn asked, forcing her own smile. "Could you go grab Miles from his tent and the two of you head down to that gas station we saw a couple days ago? I need to go double check something and everyone else is already out." Burnie explained, talking with his hands quite a bit. Arryn nodded cheerfully and glanced at Jordan. "Thanks, I knew I could count on you. Good luck." With that, he was gone just as quickly as he came.

Arryn sighed and scratched at her neck. "You alright?" Jordan asked, cornern filling his eyes. Turning her head to look at him, Arryn hummed in question. "It's just...you don't look alright, you know?" His words got quieter as he continued to speak, feeling less and less confident in them. "Oh. No, I'm fine. It's just, Miles...he hasn't been very...responsive lately. I can't get him to even talk to me since Kerry died." Arryn explained solemnly, face dropping. Jordan felt that same urge to hold her close and tell her it's alright, but as always, he could never act on it. Instead, he bit his lip and gave her a sympathetic nod. "I'll be back soon, I hope. Bye, Jordan." Then she was gone, just like that.

As Arryn entered the tent Miles usually sulked in, she was greeted by the sight of him sitting crisscross on the floor. His face and eyes along with it were casted down towards his shoes. This was how he always was, ever since the attack on the power plant. Arryn didn't really blame him, considering the circumstances. Miles had to watch his friend get shot in the head, gruesomely and up close. Then there was the fact that he never had the chance to apologize, after they had a huge fight about whatever it was. Arryn couldn't even recall it had felt so long. All this time, Miles never contributed to the group, but Arryn always found a way to cover for him, until now, that was.  
And now she didn't know WHAT to do.

"Miles?" She started off quietly, as if not to startle him. There was no response. "Miles? Hello?" Arryn took a few steps closer, bending down since the tent's ceiling was so low. Still nothing from him. "Come on, Miles. You have to talk to me." She insisted, now kneeling infront of her boyfriend. Miles refused to communicate at all. "God damn it, give me SOMETHING! ANYTHING! Just acknowledge me! Show that you're listening! PLEASE!" She was outright pleading now, her hand gently touching Miles' cheek. He never even moved, just sat there, staring. Arryn clenched her fist and chewed on her lower lip, struggling to not cry. "Fuck!" She cursed, turning and leaving the tent.

As she hurried to leave the camp, grabbing her bag of stuff, she passed by Jordan, who called out to her. She froze and looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "Arryn? Hey, what's wrong? C-Can I help?" Jordan wanted to tear off the rope that kept him in that stupid fucking truck and wanted to just run over and just..fucking help! Arryn made her way over, head mostly held down. "Miles...uh...I'm just going to do the run myself. I'll be back soon, I promise." She was hurriedly wiping at her face, sniffling slightly. "Hell no you're not. It's way too dangerous, I've been by that gas station..." Jordan said a bit fiercer. Arryn shook her head no and let her blanket fall to the ground. "I'll be fine. Promise."

Jordan never got to say goodbye. She was already running away and his calls out to her weren't heard. His body shook with fear and he continued to yell out, for anybody. There was no one, though, everyone was gone, scavenging for supplies. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" He chanted, squirming and pulling at the rope. He tried desperately to get free, but no matter what, he was stuck there. Powerless. It was maybe an hour or two before anyone was even within earshot. Of course, it had to be Michael, though, appearing just in the distance. Jordan didn't have time to care, he needed to get Arryn some help. "MICHAEL!" He screamed as loud as he could.

To his surprise, he was successful, and the survivor rushed over. "What?!" He barked impatiently, a bucket of water in his hands. "Arryn! She, she! Fuck she went by herself! To the gas station and you! Shit, please, help her, she could be in trouble!" Jordan pleaded, voice dry and shaky from his mostly fruitless yelling and calls for help. "What the fuck...Shouldn't someone have gone with her?!" Michael dropped the bucket and angrily clenched his fists. "Miles, but...but he wouldn't...please, help her!" The ginger grunted in response and opened the truck door. Jordan flinched, thinking he was going to get punched, but instead, he was untied. With a huff, Michael motioned for him to follow and stormed off towards Miles' tent.

"MILES FUCKING LUNA! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE, ARRYN MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE!" He screamed, nearly tearing the tent door off. When Miles heard those words, he perked up his head in confusion. "Wh...what?" He muttered quietly. "Arryn went to the gas station by herself!" Jordan hurriedly explained, still shaking uncontrollably. He knew the gas station was usually full of Rotten and crumbling walls and almost died there a number of times. There was no chance Arryn would be fine. Miles shot up from his sitting position and shoved past Michael. "Oh shit! Fuck! Arryn!" He cried out, grabbing his gun and rushing ahead of Michael and Jordan. They all knew time was running out.

When they had finally gotten there, Michael shot a few Rotten and Miles moved ahead, caloing out for Arryn. Jordan frantically looked around, seeing nothing. Everything was just rubble and Rotten bodies, so many bodies. Did Arryn kill them all? It wasn't until he turned around and saw her that he truly couldn't stop shaking. "Arryn..." He whispered, shaking his head no. Michael ran up behind him, followed by Miles. A choked sob left Miles and he fell to his knees instantly. Under a pile of concrete, most likely recently fallen, was Arryn's already Rotten body. She hissed and growled at them, unable to come closer due to her legs being trapped.

"No...no...fuck, no!" Miles cried, shaking just as much as Jordan with every hard sob. Jordan couldn't breathe anymore and stood there, incapable of doing anything. He knew it was stupid, loving someone so quickly and as much as he loved Arryn, but that was just how he felt. A tear fell down his cheek and his throat tightened as he watched Arryn try to claw at them. Michael took two steps forward, next to Miles and kneeled next to him. Jordan couldn't hear what he had whispered in Miles' ear, but he could assume. Because then Michael stood and aimed right at Arryn's head. Instincts had Jordan yelling for him to stop, but it was already too late. He would never forget the way her brains splattered across the concrete.

As Arryn's grave was finished, everyone gathered around, staring. "We've never had a proper burial before...so, uh...I'm not sure how to do this." Burnie whispered, placing a small flower over the dirt mound. "Arryn was a valued member of the group and she was one of the greatest people I had met. May she rest in piece. And may we not let her sacrifice go to waste. We will survive because of people like her. And I hate it, but...we have to go soon, so...say your goodbyes and let's leave." He then walked off, and was slowly joined by everyone else, until it was just Miles and Jordan. The two stayed silent, until Miles kneeled infront of the grave and muttered something very softly.  
Jordan assumed it was 'I love you'.

When He had backed off, though, Jordan came closer and draped Arryn's blanket over the dirt. He held back his tears and forced a smile, as if she was still looking. "My smile is nothing compaired to yours..." Jordan muttered, chuckling weakly. There was absolute silence for half a minute, until he broke it, with his final word to her.

"The song is ended, but the melody lingers on...Irving Berlin."


	31. A Better Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my goal is to finish this fic by the end of the year! That means a few chapters every day c: Hope you guys don't mind!

Silence lingered for quite some time, the only sound being the faint rumble of the engine. Jordan stared out the window, chin resting in the palm of his hand. No one knew where they were going to go, or which way, but all they knew was that they needed out of there. The loss was suffocating them, wringing out their hope like they were just old towels. It was like feeling the urge to run, but having no where to go, but down. That was the only place any of them knew anymore. Jordan quietly sighed, narrowing his eyes sadly as he watched the Rotten wander mindlessly in the distance. Sometimes he wondered who they were, but found himself wanting to cry when he did.

Burnie gnawed at his lower lip, constantly staring ahead at the road. Beside him was Miles, and in the back were Jordan, Monty, and Joel, all lost in their own scattered thoughts. He knew they were all exhausted, considering the day they had just had. In front of him, the sun was going down, letting him know just how long he had been going. Every part of him ached and hurt, but he knew there was no stopping yet. This life was constant moving, just to survive. Still, he longed for some kind of break. All anyone wanted was some time to breathe and some time to mourn, but they didn't even have that.

"I...never got to ask. Jordan, what happened with you? Before..." Burnie had trailed off, not wanting to exactly admit to his initial mistake. Jordan glanced away from the window, as if to be sure Burnie was talking to him. "Not...much. I guess just moving from place to place and group to group. Nothing ever really lasted long." He explained solemnly. Joel gave him a sad look from the other side of Monty. "Sounds...tough." Burnie mumbled in response, never looking away from the road. "I guess. I mean, I never really had long enough to get close to others, you know? After awhile it's just...shit happens." No one responded, not knowing what to say.

Burnie narrowed his eyes, focusing on something in the distance. With nothing left to say to them, he quickly turned and pulled up in a parking lot. Monty ducked his head in order to see what they were stopped at. "A...hotel?" He breathed, invading Joel's personal space. Burnie put the truck in park and unlocked the doors, letting everyone out. Not too far behind, the other two vehicles drove up, parking beside them. When Burnie stepped out, he immediately let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "This...could work." He told himself, reaching for his holstered gun. "Careful, everyone...there could be Rotten anywhere. Let's clear out a couple rooms and then we'll get our gear!" Burnie ordered, montioning for everyone to follow.

Monty was the first to enter, kicking down the door much to Michael's irritation. "Hey, asshole! Could you be any fucking louder?" He had barked, shoving past him with Lindsay close behind. "I don't think I could be any louder than your cursing." Monty shot back, calm and composed as always. "Both of you dumbasses need to shut the fuck up." Ryan interjected as he passed the two. "Monty fucking started it." Michael whined under his breath. Ryan rolled his eyes and went straight for the elevator. He hummed in thought, adjusting the strap of his backpack. "Dude, electricity is dead as can be. I don't think it's worth looking at." Ray suggested, standing beside Gavin. "I know, Ray. That's not why I'm looking at it. I'm wondering if we could take some of this metal and use it as fortification."  
"Oh."

Barbara chuckled in the background, already heading up the stairs with Jack. "Have fun with your broken elevator, we're going to check upstairs!" The bearded man called out, his feet loud against the wooden floor. Jordan stood back and watched, hands in his pockets. He felt really out of place all of a sudden. There was no smiling Arryn to make him feel safe, and that made him sick to the stomach. "They all kind of look like ants." Chris commented, popping out of seemingly nowhere. Jordan looked at him and chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I guess so. They really get to work quickly. Almost like a well oiled machine." He had added. Chris shook his head and let out a breathy laugh. "Yet, we've only been together maybe a month."

Joel grinned a bit like a goofball, hand on Burnie's shoulder. "Nice job, man. This place could be good to us, you know?" He then left, joining the others as they wiped out the few wandering Rotten and looked around. It was as if they seemingly found new hope among the dusty molding rooms of the hotel. Burnie gave a bittersweet smile, crossing his arms over his chest. As much as he enjoyed the fact that they felt things were looking up, he knew what that meant. Every time they got comfortable, something came by and crushed every ounce of courage they had managed to salvage in the wreckage of the world.

Gavin and Ray explored the top floor, just the two of them. It was quiet up there, no signs of Rotten or really any kind of death. "I was in a hotel on the first day..." Gavin whispered, as if speaking too loudly would disturb the peace. "Really? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but..." Ray chuckled nervously, eyes constantly scanning. "Yeah, I was in there a long while. I was about to go mental, I swear." They both laughed for a bit, continuing to walk around. "What stopped you?" The brunette suddenly questioned, hand gently brushing against an old painting on the hallway wall. "Geoff and Michael found me." Ray suddenly froze, somehow not expecting that answer. "I had never been so happy, you know? Just to see living people...to hear their voices..."

Ray turned and watched as Gavin had frozen in place in the middle of the hallway, too. There was stillness in the air, choking Ray inexplainably. "Geoff...treated me like a son. Right from day one." The blonde was barely audible now, head lowering. "Funny, huh? I knew him maybe a week and he cared so much about me. What a lunatic, right?" Ray took slow steps towards Gavin, careful as he approached. "What brought this up?" He asked gently. "Just...I was thinking...he deserved a proper burial. He was...a good man. I never did get to say goodbye, after all." Ray placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. "It...still hurts, Ray. Why...does it hurt?" Tears whelled up in Gavin's eyes and Ray gently kissed his cheek. "Because the pain reminds us we're human." Ray whispered into his ear.


	32. Tis The Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my way of kinda skipping through the next month in the story ;v;

December 1st- 7:50 am- Room 103

Jack opened his small pocket planner and crossed off yesterday's date. How had it already become December? He sighed, turning a few pages back and frowning deeply at the days he bothered to mark. The day of the attack and the day Arryn died. With slight reluctance, Jack closed the booklet and shoved it back in his backpack. His gaze then fell on Ryan, whose bed was opposite of Jack's. Everyone had agreed no one gets their own room, that everyone should have a roommate. Ray and Gavin, Lindsay and Michael, Jack and Ryan, Monty and Burnie, Chris and Jordan, Joel, Miles, and Barbara. Everyone had a room.  
Now all they had to do was survive.

December 3rd- 4:00pm- Hotel Roof

Burnie paced back and forth, rifle in his hands. There was something dark in the way he glared at the concrete roof beneath his feet. Monty glanced back, frowning steadily. "You really should relax. It's not that big of a deal." He insisted, gaining the leader's attention. "Not that big of a deal?!" Burnie repeated loudly, now facing Monty. "You and Barbara practically started a fucking fist fight down there! I swear to fucking christ if you two don't fix things, I'm going to have to kick both of you out!" He added, venom lining his words. Monty stood up and turned towards Burnie, smirking confidently.

"Let's be honest with ourselves here, Burnie. You're not like Michael. You're not even close to what Michael was. You may put on this facade that you're capable of making tough decisions, but when it comes down to it, you're weak." Monty had gotten so close, his eyes were visible to Burnie even through the dark pair of shades he wore. Burnie swallowed, taking a step back. "I know, that if it came down to it, you wouldn't stop me from killing Barbara, would you? Of course, I'm not saying I would kill her...this is merely hypothetical. I'm just arguing that if it were to happen, you wouldn't kick me out." There was a good minute of silence, just before Burnie walked away.

December 4th- 1:30am- Room 101

Gavin rested his head on Ray's chest, eyes dangerously close to closing. Still, he couldn't get himself to sleep, not after what he had a nightmare about. Ray was completely knocked out, considering the day he just had out scavenging with Jack and Ryan. They all nearly died and Ryan's leg only got worse before Monty had spotted them on the horizon. Gavin had silently wondered why Burnie had left his post at the rooftop, they were supposed to be on watch. It was strange really, or at least to Gavin it was strange. Who's to say what really happened, though?

Ray moved in his sleep and Gavin had to readjust himself on Ray's chest. He wasn't really sure what they were; friends with cuddling benefits, boyfriends, or something inbetween. After all, it wasn't like they made very many public displays of affection. He wasn't even sure if anyone else had caught on yet. All Gavin knew was that he was at his happiest when Ray was nearby. He smiled lazily, pulling more of the blanket over the both of them and nuzzling against Ray. Soon enough, he found himself falling asleep again.

December 8th- 8:17pm- Hotel Lobby

Jordan took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Everything was supposed to be alright, but it only seemed the group just kept getting worse. He wasn't quite sure what he had gotten himself into, but nothing was looking that good. With slow movements, he made his way to the front door and examined the nailed down wood. It wasn't the best looking, considering the loose nails and splintering wood everywhere. Maybe they could've fixed it if they just had more wood, but that probably wasn't going to happen soon. What they had would just have to do for now.

Footsteps came from the stairs and as Jordan turned, he saw Chris coming down. "Oh...hey, Chris." He greeted, smiling brightly. Chris muttered a greeting in response, giving a small wave as he approached. "Thought, uh...you could use some company while on watch. It gets kinda boring, right?" He asked, seeking some validation to his arrival. Jordan chuckled softly and nodded, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah, I love company. I mean, at least with roof watch there's scenery to look at. Here, it's just a room." Chris chuckled that time, running a hand through his hair.

December 12th- 2:47am- Hallway

Monty stood watch in the hallway, pacing back and forth with his arms crossed over his chest. Everything was silent, the other survivors thoroughly asleep at that point. His eyes scanned the dark, as if looking for something, but finding nothing. Suddenly, he noticed a door creaking at the end of the hallway and raised an eyebrow. Barbara had left her room, for some reason and was heading straight for the staircase behind Monty. As she drew closer, her footsteps came to a sudden stop and she stared at the brunette like a deer stuck in the headlights. There was silence for a moment.

December 12th- 2:59am- Hallway

Burnie tiredly rubbed at his eyes and sighed in frustration. The last thing he had wanted was to be rudely awaken at three in the morning, but it wasn't like he was just going to let Monty and Barbara beat on eachother. What kind of leader would he be for doing that. Glancing across the hall at Barbara, and Jack who had been woken up by the commotion, he noticed the tear streaks along her cheeks. Her bloody nose and disheveled hair didn't seem much like anything compaired to those tears she was struggling to hide. Jack had been comforting her, but it didn't look like it was working very well.

Monty was doing better by a long shot, with only a black eye. Burnie had continuously tried to get a straight story out of either of them, but they both actively avoided an explanation. The only thing he could assume was that Barbara swung first and caught Monty off guard, but then he fought back. Still, until someone explained things, anything was a valid theory. "If you're done now, I believe it's the end of my shift and I'd like to get some sleep." Monty suddenly said, putting on his sunglasses to cover the unseemly wound. Burnie let out a sigh and with a motion of his hand, let Monty go. He was getting nowhere anyway.

December 20th- 3:00pm-Unknown Store

"Are you sure you're alright to be out like this?" Jack asked, gripping his gun a bit too tightly. Ryan chuckled deeply, his own weapon casually resting against his shoulder. "I'm fine, Jack. Honest. I've had my time to rest up the leg and I am bored as hell spending so much time on watch duty." He explained, scratching at his nose. "I know, but...last time you were out here, you nearly died." Concern was etched into every bit of Jack's face as he spoke, eyes scanning the shelves. "I have complete faith that you'll save me if I need it." Ryan said smiling. "I wouldn't be so sure of that..."

Ryan stopped walking, eyeing Jack. "You don't still think it's your fault that...Geoff..." He trailed off, not wanting to directly say it. He knew Jack and Geoff were very close for only knowing eachother a couple months or so. Jack swallowed hard, scratching at his long beard and completely ignoring the question. "Jack..." Ryan whispered, narrowing his eyes. "Hey, I think I found something!" Jack called back, hurrying off towards what may or may not be there. Ryan decided to just let him go this time.

December 24th- 6:36pm- Hotel Roof

Joel scanned the area through his binoculars, seeing nothing in the darkness. "Why am I always fucking stuck with nighttime watch? This is the worst time to be on watch!" He openly complained, earning a laugh from Ray, who was seated behind him. "Dude, relax. Even if we missed something, I'm sure Jordan and Chris would catch it." The Puerto Rican assured. "They on Lobby watch or outside?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow and lowering the binoculars from his eyes. "Outside. Chris was being really antsy about it and all, ya know." Ray replied, crossing his legs. Joel hummed in response, walking back over and dropping the binoculars in the younger man's lap. "Wow, rude. Could've just handed them to me."

Joel grinned, watching Ray make his way to the edge of the roof. "Jack told me tomorrow's Christmas. Kinda weird, huh?" He added quickly while Ray was still getting set up. "Jack still has that calendar? I thought he'd lose it by now." Ray commented, looking down at the surrounding areas. "Yeah. He's even already making himself one for next year. I make fun of it a lot, but I'm actually glad someone's keeping track. It'd be...disorienting if we didn't know the day anymore..." With that, Joel sat himself down, legs sprawled out. "You could say that again."

December 25th- 7:46am- Room 102

When Michael woke up, the last thing he wanted to hear was Lindsay crying beside him. He rolled over quickly, pushing the bangs out of her eyes. "Hey..hey...shhhh...what's wrong?" He whispered gently. Lindsay looked up at him with sad eyes and a red nose. "I miss...everything..." She managed, sniffling. Stroking her hair, Michael pulled her closer. "I miss Christmas morning, my family, decorations, cookies, and everything else!" She let out a choked sob,nuzzling her face into Michael's chest much like she would a pillow. "I know. I know, sweetie. Everything's fucked up, but...it'll get better...I promise." He kissed the top of her head and let her cry for a long time.

December 31st- 11:24pm- Room 104

Burnie woke up to the sound of harsh knocking on his door that night. He and Monty both jumped out of their respective beds and raced to the open, swinging it open. "F...Fire! FIRE!" Jack exclaimed, pointing to the side. Burnie peeked his head out and nearly screamed. Fire had engulfed the five empty rooms at the one end of the hall, smoke everywhere. "FUCK!" He exclaimed, rushing over to room 107. "FIRE! THERE'S A FUCKING FIRE, EVERYONE WAKE UP! FIRE! GET WHAT YOU CAN AND GO!" His voice cracked many times and he nearly hacked up a lung afterwards due to the smoke, but people managed to hear him and on by one, they dashed out of their rooms.

December 31st- 11:48pm- Outside

The flames were high, lighting up the areas surrounding them easily. Burnie watched with blank eyes, the other survivors packing the cars with supplies. "How..." He whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "How in the FUCK." Joel, next to him, gently patted his shoulder and watched the hotel fall apart and the wooden foundation be engulfed in bright fire. "We can move on...it's okay." Joel insisted, voice almost defeated. "Burnie! We're ready to go!" Jordan called from the cars, closing the trunk. Burnie didn't want to leave, but every Rotten for miles had to see this and they needed to move, fast. "Fuck...happy fucking new year..." He bitterly grumbled, turning away.  
Miles watched the fires, a very small smile on his lips.


	33. February

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just can't stop time skips oh no

"This is officially the worse."  
"Oh come on, you've hardly given it a chance."  
"Nope. I think I just have to break up with you, this is...terrible." Michael rolled his eyes at Lindsay, hands firmly gripping his fishing pole. "Go ahead. Who'd want to date a girl who hates fishing?" He teased, earning a giggle from his girlfriend. "Okay, first off! Fish smell bad." Lindsay pointed out, wiggling her toes in the water. "Second off! We're not even getting anything! Maybe it's still too early..." She trailed off, frowning. "Maybe February is still too soon...hm..." Michael agreed just before his pole was nearly yanked out of his hands. "FISSSHHHH!"

Lindsay burst into laughter, nearly dropping her fishing rod. "Michael! Don't yell at it, it'll run away!" She insisted, watching her boyfriend struggle to pull the fish out of the water. "Fucking asshole! Get. The. Fuck. Out!" He angrily shouted, yanking as hard as he could. "Wow, what a baby!" Lindsay set down her pole and stood up, making her way over. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled hard. Together, the two finally got what was being so difficult. A pile of underwater vegetation. "Are you fucking KIDDING me!" Michael yelled, throwing the plants down. Lindsay, meanwhile, was still in a fit of laughter.

Jordan smiled fondly at the scene, walking over. "You know, those are edible. We can cook them up tonight, even if we don't get any fish." He explained quickly, picking up the vegetation. "We're definitely not getting any fish with shouty pants over here." Lindsay assured, jerking her thumb at Michael. "Watch your mouth, I might just have to shut you up." He retorted, smirking. "Oh really? I'd like to see you try!" Michael chuckled at her and stepped forward, kissing her. Jordan felt a bit awkward standing there, but simply stared at the plants. "So..." Lindsay started after the two separated. "Fishing?"

Back at their campsite, Jack poked the fire, watching the flames begin to grow. "Alright, we're ready to get cooking here!" He called out, adding some wood. Ryan walked over, smiling brightly. "Nice job, Jack. This'll do wonders for tonight. I just hope there's actually food to cook this time." He chuckled and sat down on the stump only a few inches away. "Well Michael and Lindsay are fishing and Chris and Barbara are checking the traps, so we should have SOMETHING." Jack assured rather optimistically. "I don't know about that, Lindsay hates fishing after all." Ryan gently nudged the wood with his foot, sparks flying in the air.

Just then, Michael appeared walking up the hill, a couple fish in one hand and the pile of vegetation in the other. Not too far behind him was Lindsay and Jordan, carrying the fishing rods. "fffFFISHHH!" He yelled, throwing the fish at Jack's face. "Michael! What the fuck?!" The bearded man exclaimed through his laughter. "Ryan! Ryan! I actually caught one!" Lindsay cheered after Jordan took her fishing pole from her and went to put it away. Ryan smiled fondly at her, hands in his pocket. "That's awesome, congratulations!" He said before standing up. "You should come with us next time! It's actually a lot better than I thought.." She admitted, trying to fix her hair. "I'll, uh...have to pass, but thanks."

Jack reached for a stick on the ground and skewered the two fish with the vegetation in between. "Now where the hell are Barbara and Chris?" He muttered, holding the food out just above the flames. "They should be back soon, I think. I sent Joel to go get them." Burnie explained, suddenly near them. "Oh, hey, Burnie! How's it going?" Jack greeted, turning his head to see the leader. "Eh. Better than before, but you know. I guess I just can't wait for March when it warms up a bit more and it's easier to find food." He answered honestly, sitting down beside him. "I know what you mean. It's been really bad for so long, that anything like this feels so much better." Jack added, turning the stick.

When Jordan had returned from putting away the fishing gear; Barbara, Chris, and Joel were making their way over. "We got something!" Joel ecstatically announced, waving his arm in the air like a wild man. "What'd you get?!" Burnie called back, standing up to meet them. Chris shyly held up what looked to be a rabbit or some other small rodent. "The other traps were empty, but something's better than nothing. Lucky break, right?" He told them, scratching at his nose. "Foot not so lucky now, is it Mr. Rabbit?" Barbara joked, handing the animal to Jack so he could cook it. "God damn it, Barb." Burnie groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Miles watched from afar, cracking his knuckles. For some reason, he hated all of this and didn't want to be apart of it. For some reason, it made him sick to see everyone so okay again, laughing and joking and smiling as if there was no apocalypse to begin with. He wanted it all to stop and craved their misery in some form or another. There was somehow satisfaction in the way their hearts would break, like with the fire a month ago. "Are you alright, Miles?" Ray asked, coming up behind him. Miles turned his head and smiled slightly. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking." He replied simply. "Well alright. Come on, I can smell food cooking, let's go." The two walked over together and soon, everyone was gathered around the campfire, waiting.

"Jack..?"  
"Hm?"  
"Why didn't you skin the animals before hand?"  
"Damn it..."


	34. Crawling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a long time, sorry about that! I was just trying to figure out how to separate out the plot points so that everything ends on chapter 50

The next day, everyone packed up their belongings and covered what they could of their trail. "Why can't we stay another day?" Lindsay questioned, burying the fire pit beside Michael. "You know why. We've been here three days already, we need to keep moving." He responded, tossing a rock from the ring to the center, trying to mask any sign that they were using it. "I know, but...I really hate moving so much." She softly complained, pushing a pile of dirt ontop of everything. "Me too." Was all Michael said, kissing his girlfriend's forehead and standing up.

"We ready to go?" Jordan called out to everyone, standing in the doorway of the RV. There was a general murmur of agreement and everyone began making their way to the vehicles they still had. Joel stood off to the side and watched with tired eyes. "There's not many of us, is there?" Jack commented as he walked up. "No." Joel agreed, doing a mental count. "And there's going to be a whole lot less by the time this shit is over." He then walked off to get into the truck, leaving Jack slightly stunned.

As they began driving, Barbara glanced at Miles. His expression was intense, eyebrows furrowed and mouth in a straight line. There was something dark to the way he just stared at the ground. She watched him for awhile, but he never moved, eyes barely blinked. It was just unsettling. "Miles? Are...you okay?" She asked quietly. The brunette glanced up with a slightly softer expression, but just nodded. "Well...alright. If you're sure." She mumbled in response, turning away from him. For now she'd leave it alone, but who knows what was going on in his head.

Jack stared out the window, watching as trees passed by until there was nothing but open fields. "Hey, Jack?" Ryan tapped the bearded man's shoulder, getting his attention. "Yeah?" His head turned slightly to see Ryan in the corner of his eye. "What would you want to do...if all of this just vanished tomorrow?" The biochemist asked with a small smile. Jack gave a half-glare and returned to his window watching. "I don't want to answer that. It's just hypothetical wishful thinking." Jack shot back, a bit harshly. "Come on, Jack. I'm just curious." He insisted in return.

With a roll of his eyes, Jack turned his entire body towards Ryan and thought. "I guess...I'd go back and give the others proper burials." He answered, biting his lip. "The others...?" Ryan narrowed his eyes in slight confusion. "Gus, Matt, Kerry....Geoff." He swallowed hard, choking up slightly on the next name. "Caiti. Anyone who we really cared about. That'd be the first part. Then again, everything would be easier...survival would just be supplies and stuff." Jack smiled, but was soon interrupted. "It wouldn't be like that."

They both looked to Monty, who was in the passengers seat beside Burnie. "What do you mean?" Jack immediately inquired, sitting up a bit. "You think Rotten is what holds us back? That they're what controls this world now? I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jack, but humans never lost control. We just scattered it. The strong lead, they are the most dangerous. Rotten are the least of our worries. Do I need to remind you of the Attack?" He turned his head, pulling off his sunglasses. "It's man against man out here. Rotten are just an inconvenience."

Everyone in the car fell silent for a moment. "Without the Rotten...humans can work together..." Jack insisted with a whisper. Monty put his sunglasses back on, facing forward once more. "Human strength thrives off of chaos and anarchy. If you think we're doing well at surviving, Jack, you might need to revaluate the situation. In a world of dead that are walking, we CRAWL. We can hardly move forward without loss and it won't end until we ourselves realize the order of things. This is natural selection in action. Only the best live and the weak are either already dead or only here because someone else gave up their chance."

Jack cringed, sinking down in his seat. The image of Caiti and Geoff flashed in his mind. They were both so strong, but time after time, the strong gave themselves up so that he could live. It wasn't fair and he felt the guilt wash over him. "That's bullshit." Chris interjected from beside Ryan. It was incredibly shocking to hear from him, but everyone immediately listened. "Excuse me?" Monty raised an eyebrow, turning to look back again. "You make it sound like strength is only about being able to survive or that it's just...physical. I say that's bullshit! Strength is bravery even after your world's been shattered. Strength is choosing your own path, whether you want to survive...or not."

Chris clenched his fist, staring at his lap. "Strength is giving up EVERYTHING for someone else, because you're strong enough to realize you want them happy. Strength...it's admitting you're scared, but having the will to carry on. It isn't aboutsurviving...it's about self-worth and making your own choices. It's about not being pushed around willingly." He was near tears at this point, glancing up. "Brandon was STRONG. He gave everything for me. I was WEAK. But when he was gone...I knew I couldn't be anymore. So I admitted my fears and chose my own way." Jack and Ryan both stared in shock, unable to speak. Monty and Burnie, too remained silent. The rest of the ride, no one spoke, but Jack felt better, knowing in his heart, maybe he was strong.


	35. These Miles We've Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> World War Z soundtrack is nice inspiration uwu the track Wales helped inspire this chapter!

Finally, they had arrived out of the woods and into the civilization they had known. With tired eyes, they all watched as buildings and Rotten passed by. Dead bodies were scattered and lay just about anywhere they glanced. Lindsay found herself staring down at her lap, unable to accept the reality outside the car door. Michael held her close, kissing her forehead as he tried to comfort her. For awhile, Burnie just kept driving, leading the others to who knows where. It was another hour until he slowed his car and signalled they were stopping.

The area around them was rather usual, a few buildings with yards inbetween them and very few Rotten. As soon as Monty got out, he sliced two of the Rotten's heads off and peered around. Another hobbled its way towards the RV, but before it could even touch it, Michael was out of the truck infront of the RV and smashing the Rotten. Ray opened the door and cringed at the blood spattered against the vehicle. "Thanks man." "Don't mention it."  
Michael smirked at his friend and started walking away, wrapping an arm around Lindsay's waist and guiding her towards Burnie and the others.

Everyone was soon following their leader to the front of what looked to be some clothing store. The sign was completely rubble now, so there no indication as to where they were. "It's been a long day...we'll stay here tonight, get some new clothes, but not too much. Watch out for Rotten, remove all bodies...you know the drill." Burnie very briefly explained, hand gripping the door handle. While the glass had smear marks and scratches, over all it was intact. The group held onto their weapons tightly and waited. The door was then opened and everyone hurried inside.

The few Rotten that were around were quickly disposed of and thrown out the back door. The only hold up was when Barbara checked the upstairs cleaning closet to find a man dead inside. For a minute or two, she just stared at him, unblinking. When Joel had passed by, he finally got her to snap out of it and told her to move on. The man was thrown outside with the various Rotten, without much said. After it was all said and done, the sun was set and clothing racks were pressed up against the front door.

"Not bad..." Ryan lightly joked around the fire they had made. Jack rolled his eyes at the statement, but smiled all the same. "I mean, don't get me wrong...it's no hotel, but it'll do." His hands were raised in mock defense, earning a chuckle from those around the fire. "Speaking about that..." Gavin started, looking at everyone's expressions to be sure he didn't strike a nerve. "We never did find out who had burned the place down..." He reminded everyone quietly. "Maybe it's best we didn't. They made a mistake." Lindsay brought up, leaning her head against Michael's shouder.

"We're surviving with a possible psychopath...that doesn't bother you?" Ray asked, narrowing his eyes. "You don't know that!" Lindsay argued back. "It doesn't matter, it happened in the past, we're over it. This is a new year, guys. A year to rebuild." Jack sternly told the group. It was obvious he was trying to diffuse the situation, but it did little to help. "Well, really...who are the prime suspects?" Ryan inquired, glancing behind Lindsay, who was straight across from him. Lindsay slowly turned her head and saw Monty, Burnie, and Joel talking amongst themselves. "Which one?" She whispered, suddenly hyper-aware of how loud they were.

Ryan shrugged with an eyebrow raised. "Any of them. Burnie's the leader, sure, but he's cracking under the pressure. I rarely see him smiling anymore. Then there's Joel, who, let's face it, is a bit screwy. I can't believe ANYONE could stay that happy in this kinda setting. Ever since I met him, he's been all smiles. And of course, Monty seems likely. I don't think I have to give an explanation for him." The others in the circle remained silent, thinking to themselves. "Jesus, Ryan. You're screwing with our heads, aren't you?" Jack glared his friend down, looking pretty serious. "Nah. Well, maybe." "You motherfucker!"

A few minutes later, Miles stood up, remaining silent as he walked away from the circle. The others were too distracted with their conversation to notice, but Jordan had. So he, too, stood up and left them. He slowly followed Miles up the stairs, careful of his footsteps. At the top, he glanced around, thinking he lost him. It was when he turned right, however, he noticed Miles' silhouette. "You...did it, didn't you?" Jordan whispered, coming closer. Miles glanced away from the completely glass wall and saw Jordan as he neared. "You burnt the hotel, right?"

Miles stayed silent, but watched carefully. "I won't tell anyone...I just want to know." Jordan assured, stopping suddenly. "So what?" Miles muttered, looking away. "So...why'd you do it? Why would you put everyone's life in danger? Even your own?" Jordan nervously bit at his lip, keeping his voice low. "It doesn't matter." "It does to me." "And what do you matter?" "I just want to know." "Just leave me alone." "Miles, please tell me." "I said go!" "I'm only going to ask one more---" "IT WAS FOR HER!"

Jordan stopped midsentence and watched with eyes wide. "It was for Arryn." Miles swallowed hard and shook with anger. "I...what?" Jordan took one step closer, but no more, mindful of the distance between them. "She deserved to live! None of you did! You are all meant to die, it's written in your fate and in the fate of this hopeless world! But she died instead...my perfect angel." Tears streamed down Miles' face as he spoke. It was obvious how hurt he was, how vulnerable he had become, all within the mention of Arryn. Jordan thought a moment, knew he had to be careful with his words.

"You're right, she deserved to live. But what makes you say we shouldn't live?" With a shaky voice, Miles managed to reply, fists clenched at his sides. "She was perfect. I loved her...I loved her so much and now she's gone! Dead like the rest of the world! She was my hope...and she gave up on me. She LEFT me! I can never get her back now." Jordan had to think again, had to choose once more. But at the same time, he had to fight the feelings that were stirred up inside him. A stupid jealousy and an immense loss, all brought up again because of Miles. "You did this to her. It's your own doing, Miles! Not anyone else's!"

Miles glared hard, boring a hole into Jordan's head. "I LOVED her!" He insisted. "You neglected her! Ignored her and left her alone! When she needed you most, I mean, shit, Miles! She lost Kerry, too!" Jordan argued, his voice raising. "Fuck you! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! Just leave me the FUCK alone!" Miles spat back, not backing down in the slightest. "Miles!" "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I LOVED HER!" "MAYBE I DID, TOO!"  
Everything suddenly stopped again. Miles stared wided eyed for a moment, chest heaving. Jordan froze, all too aware of what he said.

It all happened so fast after that. Barbara had screamed behind him, something he couldn't understand. Miles had thrown him into the glass and all he knew was he was bleeding on the ground infront of the store.  
Then it was dark.


	36. Let Her Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well lookie here!

Caleb wiped the sweat from his forehead and let his bag drop from his hand. He huffed, squinting at the sunlight that passed through the tree branches. Whether or not he was still in Texas, the winter was finally coming to an end and spring wa on its way. "Oi! Caleb! Looks like a firepit over here!" Ben called out as he used his foot to brush aside the dirt. A collection on rocks and twigs definitely seemed to be pointing to a fire. It was probably covered to hide the fact anyone was ever here. So much for that.

With a small smile, Caleb turned on his heel. "Really? So someone really was here..." He muttered mostly to himself. Ben tried to kick the dirt off his shoes, but failed to. Sighing, he gave up and looked at his friend. Caleb was zoning out, staring at the trees around them. They both were still shaken up from the outbreak in their old group. After all, everyone they cared about and still knew were dead. It was a lot to deal with on top of their already bloodied hands. Hesitantly, Ben approached Caleb and reached out to touch his shoulder. Caleb tensed slightly.

"Don't think I'm clueless..." Ben whispered suddenly. Caleb looked over his shoulder, as if confused. "I know what you've been doing, following these abandoned camps." The Brit added, voice stern and serious. "What do you mean?" Caleb shot back, sounding defensive. "You're looking for her, aren't you? Barbara?" Ben watched Caleb's face closely, noting the pain that flashed in his eyes. "Maybe I am. What does it matter?" He jerked his shoulder away and reached for his bag on the ground. "What do you expect? For her to forgive you? You bloody betrayed her!" Ben called out as Caleb began walking away.

"If you don't want to help, then go off on your own, see if I care!" Caleb shouted back angrily. "If I didn't want to help, I wouldn't be here still!" Ben responded, stopping Caleb in his tracks. "You're my chum, Caleb. I'm just warning you's all." The Brit smiled, making his way over. Caleb sighed, tugging down on his baseball cap. "One of us is the biggest idiot in the world." He remarked with a small chuckle. "Probably me, Mate." Ben joked, moving ahead with Caleb just a bit behind him. "I'll fight you for that title!" He lifted his fits and punched the air a few times. Ben found himself rolling his eyes and continuing to walk. "Nevermind, you can take it."

It was another couple hours of walking until they came across an abandoned gas station, cars still parked and front door smashed to pieces. Ben cursed under his breath at the sight. "Wonder if any of these cars can be started?" Caleb questioned aloud as they drew closer. "I could probably get one to work. That is, if no rapscallions took out all the engines and parts. Ya know, like they do in movies." Ben replied, hand gently touching the hood of one of the vehicles. "Did you seriously just say that? Rapscallions? Really, dude?" "Oi, don't judge me!"

Caleb found himself laughing as he stepped into the gas station's store. "How about you get started on those cars and I'll check for food here!" He offered up, not waiting for a reply. Ben jokingly flipped him off and went to work, setting down his pack. "Now then, what do we have to work with?" He muttered to himself, getting out a tool kick. With a steady hand, he opened the hood of the vehicle and felt relieved. "No alarms and a nice old engine. Brilliant!" He cheered, blowing away the dust from the car. "Now let's get ya to purr!"

Caleb again and again stepped on broken glass, cringing slightly. He still wasn't sure if there was anything around, but if there was, it knew where Caleb was. Stepping again, the trail of glass had ended and he was on regular floor, though littered with scraps of paper. From the looks of things, someone got in quick and took everything with them. "Damn it. We never get a break." Caleb said under his breath. It was getting a little tiring not finding supplies. "Maybe over here..." He turned the corner, glancing from shelf to shelf. Still nothing. There had to be something somewhere!

After he was sure there was nothing left, Caleb returned to Ben. "No food or anything!" Caleb reported with heavy disappointment in himself. Ben gave him a sympathetic look, but quickly moved on from it. "Lookie here! I think I got 'er working!" He cheerfully brought up, opening the car door. Strange...it was unlocked? Within a couple minutes, Ben's head popped back up and the car roared to life. "Holy shit!" Caleb suddenly shouted, grinning from ear to ear. He never thought he'd get to drive a car again. "Well?" Ben prompted, as if expecting Caleb to bow before him.

"Ben King, you beautiful son of a bitch! Move over, I'm driving!" Caleb demanded as he walked over. Ben surprisingly cooperated and scooted over to the passenger's side, huffing quietly. "Don't pout, we both know I'm the better driver." Caleb insisted, driving forward. This was the first time since all of it happened and all of the panic. That was a long time ago and now...now was vastly different. "No argument here, in all honesty." Ben admitted with slight hesitation. "I can catch up to her now. I can tell her...everything." Caleb breathed out, gripping the steering wheel a bit tightly.


	37. Never Give Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously need to get this done faster  
> Sorry for the shortness, I just needed to get these two done with for now and I ran out of material I suppose?

Sometime in the near future...

Caleb cursed under his breath, kicking the wall beside him. "Listen...I'm sorry, but you have to face it, alright? You're going mental looking for her!" Ben pleaded, leaning his shoulder against the same wall. Caleb didn't budge, merely stood still, chest moving up and down as he caught his breath. The air felt thinner than usual to him and it was a struggle to process his thoughts and emotions properly. Ben sighed with frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Suit yourself, chum."

Caleb lifted his head at last. With narrowed eyes, he glanced at Ben, and then back to the ground. "What day...is it?" He asked weakly. Ben's eyebrows raised and he stood a bit taller. "Well at least you're talking to me. Cheers for that, yeah? As for the day...hell if I know. Has to be sometime before April, though." He explained, really quite unsure of himself. "Before april?" Caleb glared slightly. "That's just a guess...could be much earlier." The Brit defended himself, arms now crossed over his scrawny chest.

Caleb didn't respond to that. He merely shook his head, stood up straight, and walked past him. "Oi! Wait!" Ben called after him, turning on his heel. "We need to keep looking. She's out here somewhere, okay?" Caleb reminded him as he gripped their car door. "Caleb, we lost her trail a long while ago. That burnt hotel was all we had! There's been no sign since." With the utmost care, Ben placed a hand on Caleb's shoulder, determined to get some sense in him. Caleb gritted his teeth and looked back at Ben.

"What are you trying to say?" He managed, though rather weakly. "I'm saying...let's stop. Let's head up north, where it's colder...maybe find a new group...forget everything that bloody happened. We deserve something better." Ben argued. Caleb chuckled quietly, shrugging off his friend's shoulder and opening the car door. "Of course you don't understand." He muttered to himself. "Caleb, what are you hoping to get out of this? Why are you so set on finding her?" Ben finally asked, taking a step back. "I did her wrong! I did...so much wrong to her. I lied...I killed...I hurt her..."

Ben remained silent, watching carefully. "Ben, she trusted me! Okay? Don't you get it? Maybe you can live with the blood stained on our hands and just go on your merrily way...find new people we can fuck over...but I really can't. Because I loved her." He took a deep breath, fists clenched tightly. "And anyway I can be sure she's okay...it'll be worth it. Even if she shot me on sight, I'd at least know she was okay..." With another moment of silence falling over them, Ben took a step forward and whispered as quietly as he could. "Caleb...the fire...she's probably---"  
"SHUT UP!"

Caleb's fist collided with the car's window, cracking it, but not shattering. "SHE HAS TO BE OKAY!"

After their argument, the drive forward was quiet and tense. Neither man wanted to speak up for quite some time. "Two more days. That's it." Ben muttered bitterly. Caleb glanced sideways, clearly confused. "If we don't find her in two days, dead or alive...we're changing plans." The Brit elaborated further. "Ben, I'm not giving up on her--" "Then I'll change MY plan. With...or without you." Caleb bit at his lip, hands squeezing the wheel. "Fine." He breathed. "Fine meaning what exactly?" Ben inquired, staring out the window.

"Fine meaning...I'm not going to stop you." Caleb explained solemnly. Ben's heart skipped a beat and he couldn't even stand to look at Caleb. "Some bird you slept with once means more to you than your best fucking friend?" Ben barked. "If you were my best friend, you'd be more supportive!" Caleb shot back quickly. "MORE SUPPORTIVE? Are you fucking KIDDING me? I've been out here with you for who bloody knows how long and I've been nothing BUT supportive! You ungrateful arse!" Ben glared daggers at him, restraining himself from just punching him in the face.

However, Caleb didn't respond. "The fuck is wrong now? You whiny arse!" Ben shouted, but once again no response. Caleb then stopped the car, eyes wide. Ben turned to see what he saw, but didn't expect what was there. "Well fuck me sideways..." He whispered.


	38. Alpha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to get to chapter 40 today, wish me luck :'D

Present Day...

When Jordan regained consciousness, his eyes blinked again and again. The darkness that once shadowed his vision was quickly dissipating. His first sight was Barbara and Chris beside him. They weren't looking at him, so they didn't notice he was awake, but they were watching something else. As Jordan lifted his head, he saw a door that seemed incredibly far away. And yelling. Loud, loud yelling. He attempted to sit up, but pain wracked his body and he nearly screamed as he collapsed again. Barbara and Chris immediately turned to see him just as his head made contact with the towel on the floor.

"He's awake!" Barbara exclaimed, hand gently touching his cheek. "Jordan...are you alright?" Chris asked, equally as concerned. Jordan swallowed hard and closed his eyes. While his breathing felt difficult, he struggled to find his words. "What...happened?" It seemed like the logical question at the time, but really, he should've remembered. Chris glanced at Barbara, waiting for her to explain. "Well...I heard yelling and went upstairs to figure out what was wrong and...that's when I saw Miles push you out the window." She started to explain, her eyes unfocused at the moment.

"I screamed and shortly after, Michael was already in the room and tackling Miles to the ground. The others went out front and brought you in. You've been out of it for hours. Ryan thought you had a dislocated arm so...he, uh..." Barbara paused and cleared her throat. "Put it back in place. You just shouldn't move it. Your right arm, that is." She explained, motioning with a nod of her head. Jordan felt his own breath hitch, but just looked at the door again. He could only assume what was going on in there. All of the yelling was loud, sure, but the room and door was so thick, it all came out muffled beyond distinction.

Inside the room, Michael and Burnie glared down Miles, who had his wrists bound and faced them on his knees. Blood dripped from his nose and one eye was squeezed shut, already sweling. "Open your fucking MOUTH, MILES! The FUCK were you THINKING?!" Michael yelled, shaking with anger. "We DON'T kill our OWN!" That was when Miles looked up at him, completely stoic. "Then who do we kill?" Burnie raised an eyebrow in response, not exactly sure how to take the question. "The fuck are you talking about?! We kill The Rotten!" Michael retorted, arms now crossed over his chest.

Miles crinckled his nose with what seemed to be disgust. "They were once our own. What about Gus or Matt? Or fucking KERRY?! OR ARRYN?! THEY...were our own. And now they're dead. And we are the ones to blame. Each and every one of us..." Miles argued, spitting blood on the floor. Burnie took a step back and found himself against the wall. Michael, however, didn't seem ready to back down. "Rotten aren't people anymore. It's like killing an animal. Sometimes you fucking have to do it!" "Is that really what you think?" The room became silent. 

"What about Geoff?" Miles asked, stopping Michael in his tracks. "That's right..I've heard about that. You killed him before he turned. Doesn't that count? We all kill, Michael. Whether we mean to or not, and the circumstances don't mean a thing. We aren't survivors. We're KILLERS!" The stoic face he wore now appeared bitter and angry, eyes narrowed at the two men. Michael took a deep breath, stepping closer. "I give up." He whispered just before punching Miles again and shoving him into the corner of the room. The brunette cursed and spat at him, head reeling with pain.

Burnie stood by the door and waited as Michael headed his way. "Burns...I want to talk to you a second." Michael practically growled, stopping as he reached the door. "If you don't clean up your act and become a better leader for this group, I WILL take it back." He muttered angrily, hand on the door. "The fuck are you talking about? I can't control everything that happens here! And like you could've done any better!" Burnie shot back defensively. Michael snorted and rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have let Barbara and Monty fight in the middle of the night...or let someone burn down the very place we were sleeping in...or let MILES FUCKING TRY TO KILL SOMEONE! I wouldn't let any of that happen!"

Burnie appeared taken aback and he said nothing in return to Michael. The ginger huffed and gripped the door tighter. "If you don't fix your leading, things will turn to shit very quickly. I won't stand by and watch as you break apart everything I worked to keep together." Michael was just about to open the door, but Burnie interjected. "What happened to trusting me? You said you thought I'd make a great leader! What happened to that?" He asked through clenched teeth. "I was wrong. And if even one more thing happens and you just let it..." He didn't even finish his sentence, just opened the door and walked out, leaving the room. Burnie's body shook and he glanced back at Miles.

He was failing everyone and if it continued, he'd be shoving the burden onto Michael again. All of them had seen enough shit to last them a lifetime, but making the tough choices, accepting the blame...Michael had enough of THAT to last him a lifetime. With a small sigh, Burnie, too, left the room and was soon greeted with an unwelcoming sign.  
A distant scream.


	39. Morals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, next chapter is the season finale of sorts  
> And chapter 50 is the final chapter!

While all the yelling happened inside the room, Jack watched from afar, eyes blinking minimally. "You trying to hear what they're saying, too?" Ryan asked, appearing from seemingly no where. Jack jumped slightly, but regained composer. "Uh, yeah. They're not clear enough, though." He admitted. "I thought about getting closer. Then again, they'd know as soon as they saw us. Soo...not that smart, yeah?" Ryan chuckled deeply. "Guess we'll have to wait." Jack hummed in agreement, leaning back against the wall.

Ryan cleared his throat, hands then shoved in his pockets. "Mind if I tell you something, Jack?" He suddenly asked, giving the bearded man a sideways glance. "Not at all." He responded gruffly. "You're the only one I feel I can trust." It was sudden and unexpected, making Jack do a double-take to be sure Ryan was serious. "What? Me?" He exclaimed. The biochemist nodded, face rather apathetic. "Everyone else...they're crazy....broken....selfish...or giving up. You, though." His gaze shifted onto Jack and a small smile crossed his lips. "I know we haven't spoken excessively, but you're the only one who seems to have it right."

Jack still wasn't sure how to react, so he just waited for a better explanation. "You don't expect to get a 'heroes' death, do you?" Jack shook his head no. The smile across Ryan's face faded and he stared forward once more. "I see." He breathed. "That's because...I'm not a hero. I'm no Master Chief or Mario. I'm just Jack." He shrugged weakly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Everyone who dies...they're just ordinary people, for the most part." Ryan nodded in response. "I'm glad you think realistically." He praised his friend, though refraining from smiling still.

"Sure, realistically." Jack muttered bitterly. "When you think about it, though, the hero does what they do for some greater good. They give up their life for something that means a lot and ignore what small things surround them. They leave important things behind...and I'm the kinda guy who wants to help with that. I don't fall under the title hero, but I'm always willing to help. For the little good." Ryan watched Jack for half a minute, face showing no signs of emotion. Everytime he spoke to Jack, he felt he learned something important. "I see."

That was when Michael stormed out of the room, heading who knows where. Jack and Ryan both held their breath as he stomped away. "Jesus...I wonder what that was about?" Jack mused, eyes returning to the door as Burnie, too, walked out. Before anything could be said, though, a loud sound alerted everyone. A scream that definitely did not come from anywhere in the building. Silence fell for only a split second before Monty was seen running up the stairs. Now everyone was holding their breath and waiting. Monty ran back down only a moment later, tossing the binoculars to Ray.

"A herd."

Silence again. Jack looked to Barbara, who was still beside Jordan, and then to Ryan. Both looked terrified. "Fuck! Are you sure? How close?!" Michael interrogated rapidly. "There's a girl being chased! We don't have much time, we need to go NOW!" Monty explained, already grabbing his stuff and anything else he can carry. "What about the girl?" Joel asked as he picked up his bag. "She's probably already bitten..." Monty assumed. "We can't just leave her to die!" Gavin argued as the screaming picked up again. Everyone visibly cringed. "I know it's shitty, but we have to look out for our own! We know nothing about her and we're wasting time even talking about it!"

With only slight hesitation, everyone soon was gathering anything they could carry and the front doors were being watched. "There's no way we're getting to the cars..." Chris whispered, seeing the fast approaching herd and the girl in the distance. "God damn it!" Burnie cursed, opening the store's back door. "We'll find a way up to the rooftops and stay their until we think of something else!" Monty instructed, earning the group's attention. "What about Jordan? He needs to rest his arm!" Ryan brought up. "We'll figure it out when we get there! I promise we're not leaving him behind!"

"What about Miles?" Ray suddenly questioned, looking towards the door. Michael glanced at Burnie and then to the other survivors. "It's Burnie's choice, he's leader." He finally announced. "We can't leave him here to die!" Lindsay pleaded with sad eyes. "He tried to kill Jordan!" Chris retorted. "We all make mistakes!" Joel added as a defense. "That's more than just a mistake!" Barbara assured. Burnie felt the pressure as people argued and he knew there wasn't much time left. He had to make a tough decision now, or seal the fate of another survivor.

"Joel, get Miles and bring him here!" Burnie instructed, watching the mixed reactions. "Congrats, Burnie. I just hope you made the right choice." Michael muttered, watching as Joel practically dragged Miles out of the room. "Thank God." Lindsay sighed in relief, smiling briefly. "Alright everyone! Let's get out of here! Now!" Monty shuffled people out of the door, just as the screaming became almost unbearable loud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of curious: would you have left Miles behind or taken him with you?


	40. A Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season finale!

Monty led the group quickly out the back door, eyes scanning their surrondings. There was no way onto the roofs that he could see yet, and the sun was just start to come up over the horizon. Time was not on their side and soon the herd would be upon them. All the while, the girl's screaming echoed throughout the streets. What she was hoping to achieve from that, Monty had no idea, but he also didn't have the time to care. Finally, his eyes locked onto a ladder up to the top of a decently high building. "Over here!" He called out, heading straight for it.

Barbara waited back with Jordan while everyone else hurried up the ladder. "Do you think you can get up there?" She asked quickly, watching as Chris was the last to start his way up. Jordan nodded weakly, keeping his wrapped arm close to his body. Barbara smiled faintly and began to climb up. Still, she constantly glanced behind her to be sure Jordan was following. Eventually, everyone made it to the top, just as a few stray Rotten gathered at the foot of the buildings. Monty let his stuff fall from his shoulders and gazed out to the streets below. The girl was nearly passing the building, now. "This is fucked up..." Joel muttered bitterly.

"Can't we help her?" Lindsay asked weakly as she set her things down. "Like I said, she's probably already bitten..." Monty replied, sitting down. "We don't know that. Besides, isn't it the humane thing to put her out of her misery?" Jack argued, reaching for a gun. Monty kicked it away from him, letting it slide until it hit Ryan's foot. "We are NOT wasting a single bullet! This is SURVIVAL." He snapped, though he seemed to have trouble getting out the words. "We're all doomed to die. Let's just put ourselves out of misery, too!" Miles shouted from where Burnie had him sitting.

Michael suddenly left Lindsay's side, stomping over to Miles. "Shut your fucking mouth!" He growled through gritted teeth. "You know I'm right." Miles said blankly. Without hesitation, Michael gripped Miles' shirt and held him slightly over the edge of the building. Everyone jumped up, but no one could bring themselves to move any closer. "Do you really wanna die that fucking badly, Luna? I'll fucking help you out, you piece of shit!" His voice was dark and his face was red as he watched Miles struggle. "What h-happened to not killing your own!" The brunette asked with a crack in his voice. "As far as I'm fucking concerned, you willingly left the group!" "Stop!" Gavin squeaked.

With reluctance, Michael tossed Miles back onto the roof and walked away. Miles struggled to regain his composure and crawled backwards into the corner of sorts again. "Jesus..." Ray breathed out, hands now in his pockets. Jack looked away from the whole ordeal and froze when he saw Ryan walking towards the ladder with the gun in his hand. "Ryan?" Jack quietly asked, still managing to gain everyone else's attention. The biochemist stooped and turned, stoic as ever. "Where do you think you're going?" Burnie questioned with narrowed eyes. Ryan simply chuckled. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You're fucking crazy if you're going down there to help her!" Joel shouted, standing up. "If I don't, who will?" Ryan asked, getting silence in return. "That's what I thought. No one hear is going to, so I might as well try." He shrugged, turning to leave again. "Think about the group! Not some girl none of us know." Monty spat, fists tight by his sides. "I am, though. That is, if you think about it." Once again, Ryan faced them, but this time he appeared stern and determined. "I'm tired of deciding who is and who isn't worth the effort. We decide who deserves to live and that's quite frankly, fucked up."

"By our standards, none of us deserve to live, but a few. If that was any one of us out there, left to DIE, wouldn't you want some kinda stranger to help them? She was someone's friend...someone's daughter...and now, she's just Rotten fodder to you. Do you know what she is that gives her a right to life? She's human. Plain and simple." Ryan's face softened again and his gaze fell on Jack. "Someone has to do this...for the little good." He said softly, taking a few heavy steps towards the bearded man. "Here." With quick movements, Ryan removed his bag and handed it to Jack, all with a smile. "If I don't make it...keep my stuff."

One nod was all Jack gave, before Ryan was already heading down the ladder. No one had words to say, so they each watched in silence as he disappeared. Lindsay shook and sniffled, trying to resist crying as much as she wanted to. "Fuck..." Ray whispered, grabbing the binoculars and scrambling over to the edge of the roof. The other survivors couldn't force themselves to move, too scared and too stunned at the moment. "I can't believe he just left. I didn't stop him..." Monty muttered to himself, looking surprised as he watched Ray search around.

On the descent down, Ryan felt heavy-hearted. He had avoided saying goodbye, knowing that it'd be too hard to admit he wasn't coming back. And Lindsay...he couldn't bare to see her sad eyes anymore. He never stopped loving her, through all this time, but it was time to let her go and accept that he wasn't needed anymore. "All they need...is in my bag. That bag...it's me." He whispered to himself as his foot reached the ground. Holding back tears, he stared off to his right. If he didn't go now, there was no chance to save the girl.

"There he is!" Ray yelled, finally able to see Ryan in the streets. Gavin rushed over and stood beside his friend to try and watch. "Oh bloody..." The Brit trailed off, covering his mouth. Ryan ran head first out, his gun shots echoing as he cleared his way to the girl, who suddenly stopped screaming when she saw him. Ray couldn't make out what Ryan yelled to her, but she came straight to him. The two began to run together, but when Ryan tried to turn back the way he came, Rotten filled the alleyway. The sandy blonde headed the other way, but it was too late.

His scream pierced the lost thoughts of everyone on the roof. Ray dropped the binoculars and Gavin openly sobbed. The girl's scream came next and after a few minutes of the agony...it all quieted. "No...no no no! Nonononono!" Ray screeched, stumbling back from the roof's edge as tears streamed down his face. Gavin collapsed to his knees right there. Michael's eyes went wide and he turned to Miles. "Do you call that fate, Luna? Are we all supposed to die like that?" He hissed, earning no response. "Because I call that a fucking choice."

Jack clutched the bag Ryan had given him only moments ago and sat down, face stricken with disbelief. "It should have been me...."


	41. Escape Plan

_"So, you're a biochemist?" Jack awkwardly asked, a bit afraid of the silence that formed in Ryan's lab. The older man chuckled, fidgeting with something or other. "No need to force small talk. I'm sure your friends will be here soon and you can leave me in peace." He gently ran a thumb over a beaker and sighed. "Oh. Well alright then. I'm sorry." Jack cleared his throat and paced slightly. Ryan seemed to notice this. "Why are you so nervous?" He asked with a deep and monotone voice. "I assure you four men can't possibly fail too terribly. And if my research is a success, then none of you will have to die." He smiled such a fake smile._

It was night now, the moon barely hidden behind clouds and Rotten still wandering aimlessly through the streets below. Jack sat, clutching the bag Ryan had given him as he stared blankly ahead. Barbara stayed beside him, hand rubbing his back as she wiped at her eyes, filled with tears. They hadn't found a way off the roof yet, but it wasn't like they had the will to move anyway. Monty paced rapidly, nerves clearly getting to him. His gaze settled on the ground and he seemed so angry. Perhaps it was guilt eating away at him. Whatever it was, it left the man unnerved and unsteady.

There was something different about Ryan's death, something that effected each and every one of them in a paralyzing way. When survivors died, it was always sudden and while it hit hard, they always moved on. There was so much time with Ryan, time to do something, anything. No one budged, just stared as his life was stolen away. It was a sacrifice, one they fully could have prevented, but instead watched happen. Everyone felt uneasy about it, but no one more so than Jack. The man who still clutched the bag as if his life depended on it.

Michael looked over the edge, fists clenched as he saw the Rotten consume what little was left of Ryan and the girl. "At least he...didn't die alone." Gavin muttered a bit away from Michael. His finger moved in circles against the concrete roofing of the building, consistent and precise. Ray kept whispering for him to stop, but Gavin's finger was already incredibly worn down. "He shouldn't have died at all." Michael shot back low and bitter as he turned on his heel and walked right up to the frantic Monty. He gripped the man's shoulder, stopping his pacing. "We're getting the fuck off of here. Now."

Not even five minutes later, Michael was standing in position, ready to jump to the next building. "Are you sure about this? It's a long jump and an even longer drop." Monty explained, gaze to the other roof. "Of course I am. There's supplies over there that could maybe make a bridge. And if not, I'll just find some way to distract the Rotten." Michael gruffly replied. His eyes were trained forward, not blinking, mouth straight and expressionless. Within the next few seconds, he sprinted forward, shoes scraping against the concrete much like Gavin's finger was. The world felt incredibly slow, second by second. Lindsay watched with anxiety, eyebrows furrowed. Monty was right, it was a long jump.

When Michael finally felt himself hit the edge of the roof, he leaped, not allowing himself to look down. If he so much as glanced, it'd all be over and another pointless death would occur. For what seemed like minutes, the jump finally came to end as Michael's hands latched onto the next edge. He was dangling now. "Michael!" Lindsay screamed in shock, running as close as she could get to him. "Urghhh! Fuck!" He cursed, trying to pull himself up. It was now that he remembered his fight with Ryan in the woods, the one that left him with a bit of a jacked up arm. Now pain shot through him as he struggled to keep a grip.

"Oh shit...shit! Michael!" Ray yelled out with concern. Michael breathed deeply and waited. Then he pulled himself up farther, elbows reaching the edge and gripping on. Everyone held their breath as he got higher and higher. Lindsay shook with fear, but nearly cried with joy as the ginger found himself on the other roof. Though the pain felt incredible, he stood and looked back at the other survivors. No words were exchanged, just unsteady glances at other faces. He gripped his arm and bit down on his lip. It felt like something might've been dislodged, or even worse, but he had to press on. "Are you okay?" Lindsay called out to him from the other side.

With uncertainty, Michael glanced at his arm and then at the wood boards behind him. "I-I'm fine! I fucked up my arm, though, so it's going to be plan B!" He shouted in response, breathing obviously labored. The group looked scared, but Monty just nodded at him. "Do what you need to. We'll find you!" Burnie yelled, trying to ease the tension. Michael gave him a thumbs up with his okay arm and turned around. The others gathered their things, waiting for the Rotten to clear out down below. "Come on, Jack, we're going..." Barbara whispered to him, standing up.

Michael began to run, jumping a couple of gaps that really were nothing too bad, trying to get away from the others. He needed to draw all of the Rotten away from them if he had any hope of the group getting to the cars. The sound of growling and snarling below edged him on. This was no time to panic, even if he wasn't sure how he was going to get back to the group. His thoughts wandered to Lindsay and tears prickled at his eyes. "The world won't be truly over until she's gone from it." He whispered to himself, holding up his gun and shooting it twice.


	42. Not Over Yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly listening to Lego Movie music to help inspire me uwu

_Michael handed Ryan a knife and kneeled beside him. The wiring left in the power plant was pitiful, but they couldn't just give up. Ryan had muttered a thank-you, but beyond that he didn't speak much at all. The tension in the air was easy to feel, like wading through water. Still, this never prevented Michael from trying to break it. "In your research...what kinda shit did you find out? I mean, you had three fucking months..." He started, watching the way Ryan's shoulder's tensed. It was a long moment of silence._

_When he finally did respond, it was with great reluctance and force. "I discovered much with my experiments." He sighed, standing up, but still not looking at Michael. "The Rotten aren't exceptional in any way, at least when it comes to the five senses. Some theorized they had increased hearing or smell, but neither is true. In all honesty, they simply are sensitive to it and are drawn in by what they CAN sense. It's really quite strange." Another pause. "However, I also experienced first-hand...the affects of a bite."_

_Michael made no move to respond or question, he only waited and watched the worn face of a troubled man. "The infection that Rotten transfer through saliva and through your bloodstream...it varies from person to person. I once saw someone turn in an hour. Another took a week." Ryan swallowed visibly and rested his hands against the controls. "One, however, lasted a month. I nearly thought they were immune, but...I had been mistaken. Clearly, some immune systems are stronger at fighting off the infection, but...none can withstand it." His eyes suddenly shut and his breath came out shaky. No more words were exchanged that day._

It had been two days since the roof and everyone had managed to survive. Even Michael, whom they found only an hour after he played decoy to the Rotten. There was no celebration, though. No happy faces and idle chatting, not then, and not now. Instead, each survivor was struggling, fighting an inner thought that they were all doomed. Miles' words had rang through their heads as well as Ryan's screams of pain as he was devoured by insatiable monsters. No, there wasn't any hope left, none at all.

Michael leaned against a box and rubbed at his arm, watching the street in front of him. "Don't you think you should take off that bandage?" Lindsay sat beside him, motioning towards the still wrapped appendage. The ex-leader snorted. "I mean, seriously! You were shot almost a year ago by now. I think the wound it better now." She continued, but earning very little in response. "Might as well leave it." He had told her, still stuck with his gaze lingering on the asphalt. "That's not a good reason." Lindsay pointed out, but decided to drop it all the same.

After a minute of just sitting there, Michael huffed and sat up a bit straighter. Lindsay watched him carefully, knowing full well he wasn't the best at discussing his feelings. Granted, within the first few days of knowing him, he did cry against her shoulder. It was what told her that he needed help. With slow movements, the red-head kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. Then, just like that, she stood up and left. His heart sank only slightly, but enough to cause him to slump against the box once more.

Jack, inside the motel they had now been staying at for only a day, held Ryan's bag close to him. All he could manage was a blank stare at the wall and unsteady breathing that would speed up to the point of hyperventilation, and slow to the point of near lack of oxygen. It was a worrying sight, needless to say. Especially for Barbara, who had been trying her best to raise his spirits. She stood with her arms crossed and leaned her hip and shoulder against the frame of the door. It wasn't until Jack began to hyperventilate that she again moved to his side for support.

"Jack...Jack, please." She whispered, eyes filled with concern. There was no response. "Jack, just relax. It's over now, it's all done." He shook his head vigorously, body now shaking as well. "It's not done, yet...nooo...it's never done. Never over..." His voice was low, barely audible for even Barbara. "People die. We'll all...die." There was a sudden gasp for air as Jack found it harder to breathe. "Jack, look at me. Look at me! You're scared, I understand, but...please just...fuck, Jack." Barbara rested her forehead against her friend's shoulder, forcing the tears back.

"You know I'd never let anything get to you. You're my only friend...the only one who matters." Her hand very slowly touched his, trying not to scare him. "We can be scared together...it's what people do, after all, right?" With another gasp for air, tears fell from Jack's eyes and his body shivered as if stuck in a snow storm. "Cause I'm terrified, too...of what's going to happen to us...Miles is in bad shape...Ryan's gone...Burnie hasn't told us anything in awhile...but I refuse to just give in to my fears." She pressed her face more into Jack's shoulder, finally starting to cry. "It's not over yet. We...will survive."

For a long time, Barbara whispered to him kind words and anecdotes, holding his hand and crying softly against him. Jack eventually relaxed enough to fall asleep, leaving Barbara to cry alone. She untangled her hand from his and sat up, her hands forming fists and wiping at her tired eyes. She hadn't been lying, not about being scared, but her fear was definitely controling her, winning the fight against her sanity. Jack was broken, she could see it as he mumbled in his sleep and twitched constantly. If only there was some sort of fix for this.  
But they were scared...humans got scared.


	43. This Time It'll Be Alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on break, and this...might be finished in a week or two...Goodness ;-;

The next morning, Burnie had finally returned to the group, ready to speak. It was awkward at first, Monty gathering everyone up, but soon, the leader stood before them. His eyes were narrowed and his face was sullen, the words coming out as a steady stream of practiced speech. "We've all been through so much; starvation, exhaustion, depression...and death. However, I'm not here to remind you of the pain, the suffering you've all withstood. No, I'm here to remind you...we're survivors of the human race. Together, even against a fucking apocalypse, we have managed to do the unthinkable. This is nothing like the movies or games...this is real and we're all really here." He glanced down at feet and then to Michael. They shared eye contact for a long moment. "I haven't been the greatest leader, not by far, but...I will try my best and I will lay my life down for you. This world...it's our home now. Home is where people love you. We're family."

When he finished, the group was silent, staring with great intensity. "We're family." Gavin muttered with a bittersweet smile. On shaky limbs, he walked over, leaving Ray's side for the first time in awhile. Much to everyone's surprise, the Brit suddenly wrapped his arms around Burnie and brought him close. Even without much time to react, Burnie smiled, genuinely. "We're family...right." Barbara whispered, gripping Jack's hand in her own. "And...those who we've lost...they're family, too. We'll honor them, one last time, before we move on..." Burnie announced, letting Gavin go. "Joel, Chris, and Jordan...gather some wood. Lindsay, Michael, and Monty, find markers, paint, something we can write with. Gavin and Ray, go get flowers or beads or anything. The rest, help me dig."

The group split up, each person off to do what they felt needed to be done. One last memorial for those they have lost, for the ones who couldn't be there. It was sentimental, sure, something they usually never had time for, but it filled each person with a pride.  
Gavin and Ray stood near the entrance of a post office, the concrete cracking, and those cracks filling with weeds. It was quiet, except for the quiet chirping of a bird in the distance and the soft sound of footsteps. Gavin bent down, plucking a small purple flower from the ground with a pleasant hum. "You seem awfully cheery, Gav." Ray noted as he passed by.

The dirty blonde shrugged, handing Ray the flower. "For once, I feel okay. Like...we're a family." Gavin explained, smiling brighter than Ray had seen in a long time. They stood still for a bit, before Ray turned on his heel and kept looking. "Say, uh...Gavin? I know it might be shitty to ask, but...do you still miss Geoff?" The Brit furrowed his eyebrows in response. "Of course." Was his immediate reply. The force behind it caused Ray to stop in his tracks. "How long ago...was it? Do you remember?" He whispered, hand gripping a collumn next to him. The metal was cool against his sweaty palms.

A bird suddenly flew from a tree, bringing both men to attention, but when nothing happened, they proceeded. "Months. Six or so bloody months." Gavin managed, though there was an audible strain on his voice. "Right..." Ray sighed, eyes staring at his feet. "Ya know...Geoff, he uh...said something to me once." This peaked Gavin's interest and he took a step closer. "Told me to never waste time. I thought he just meant bullshit like scavenging and doing useful things, but...I remember he looked at you when he said it." The bird had landed now, chirping away it's song.

Gavin slowly inched his way forward, unsure of where this was going. "I guess I always wanted to be by myself...especially on day one, cause...it's hard knowing how much there's to lose. I wasn't going to waste time, but...I did. I've been wasting all of it. Gavin, I really need to tell you something..." Ray, still holding onto the column, turned and looked right at Gavin. "What is it?" Gavin whispered, his goofy smile returning. "It's cheesy, but...fuck...I'm in love with you, Gavin." The Brit practically tackled Ray in a hug, holding him as close to his body as he could. With his nose nuzzled into his shoulder, Gavin repeated 'I love you, too' over and over again.  
In the tree, the bird was joined by another, both chirping happily at eachother.

Burnie stabbed his shovel into the ground, wiping his forehead of his sweat. "There...hopefully the others will get back soon." He told himself, stepping back. There were only a few plots of unsettled earth, forming mounds of dirt to simulate graves, but it was going to have to be enough. Miles walked over, clearly upset about something. "Hey...listen, Burnie...I'm sorry. For everything, that is. I kinda...lost it after...Kerry and, and...uh...Arryn." He swallowed hard, holding back tears. With slight hesitation, Burnie slung his arm over Miles' shoulder. "We've all been there. But, uh...you should probably be apologizing to Jordan. If I were you."

Evening soon fell and everyone's gazes were set on the memorial. A small fire burned in front of the three dirt mounds, behind them, sign after sign. There was at least one name written by everyone left. Caiti, Ashley, Kathleen, Geoff and family, Dan, Kara, Brandon, Kerry, Gus, Matt, Arryn, and Ryan. Flowers and colorful glass shards lay atop the dirt, shining brilliantly by the light of the fire. Michael stepped forward, facing the crowd with tired eyes. "We can't let their deaths be for nothing." Was all he said.  
He wouldn't let anyone die for nothing. Not even himself.


	44. Wake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get sad again probably  
> (Sorry for short chapter)

Thunder roared in the background, light flashing shortly after. No one moved, though. They all were too occupied staring down their past and letting it finally hit them. Joel, being the one who never could cry at the face of death, found tears were streaming down his face in a matter of seconds. He cursed under his breath, sleeves wiping at his face. Monty didn't blink, staring from behind his sunglasses almost...analytically. The thunder boomed again, closer this time. A small drop of rain landed on Geoff's sign, smearing the G in his name.

Before long, rain drops were erasing all traces of writing, but no one moved. Burnie was the first to leave, Monty, Joel, Chris, and Jordan following soon after. There wasn't so much as a goodbye uttered before they had disappeared into their respective rooms. Gavin, Ray, and Miles left a minutes later, just as rain began to pour. Lindsay rested her head on Michael's shoulder, but excused herself shortly after. Michael barely registered that she had even left, too caught up in his own thoughts.

Not too far behind him, Jack and Barbara were lost in their own minds, their own worlds, too. "Have you...ever been the cause of someone else's death?" Jack asked in a low, sad whisper. Barbara didn't take her eyes off of the memorial, hair drenched and clinging to her skin. With a shaky breath, she replied. "Yes."  
"How about two?" Jack then prompted, grip tightening on Ryan's bag, which had ended up under Jack's jacket to keep dry. Barbara turned her head to look up at him.

"...No." Was her answer, quiet and slow. No more words left Jack's mouth, he was too consumed by his guilt to manage anything beyond an occasional blink of the eye. After a minute or so, Barbara knew it was enough. Grabbing his arm, Barbara started to pull him towards the motel. "It's time to go, Jack. Let's get out of the rain." She had told him, glancing back at Michael, who didn't make any movement at all. She couldn't bring herself to disturb him. Once under the awning of the motel, she opened Jack's door and ushered him inside. He was reluctant, but eventually, she got him to go inside.

Michael glared down the now burnt out wood with the intensity of the fire that was once there. Voices and images floated in his mind, pieces of a shattered memory and hope. With the bandages on his arm thoroughly soaked, he absent-mindedly rubbed at it. It hadn't felt that long ago that he was found by Jack and Geoff, but Geoff's death felt centuries ago at least. He let out a shaky sigh and stepped forward, eyeing what was once Geoff's sign. Carefully, Michael ran his thumb over it. "You deserved better." He hissed, holding back tears.

Once again, thunder echoed, vibrating through the ground and being followed by bright flashes of lightning not too far away. "We all...deserve better." He added, kneeling down in the mud of the mounds. "We aren't supposed to die by fucking gunshots to the head...or starvation...or even...fucking BITES. That's not what...we....what I..." Michael punched the ground below him, fist sinking into the earth. "We're supposed to live life...." His body shook with pent up anger, tears falling much like the rain. "FUCK! FUCK IT ALL!" Curses left his lips so easily, one after another.

Lindsay watched with concern from their room, careful not to say anything. She knew he needed this, after the series of events they'd been put through, but there was still a lingering thought. What if he hurt himself? Or worse, hurt someone else? She'd only ever seen him this angry once, back a fews day after they met. That was when Jack mentioned Geoff and Michael lost it, storming out of the building. Since then, he had seemed okay, but quite obviously not. This wasn't the kind of thing to just pass, everyone knew that much.

Barbara sat beside Jack's bed, waiting until he fell asleep. She equated this to taking care of a child, or at least a traumatized one. It wasn't that he was acting immature, but rather, he wasn't acting like anything. He rarely spoke, hardly slept, and constantly held onto that bag as if every piece of hope was shoved into it. That was it, though, wasn't it? Jack had lost hope, and that was al that was left of it to him. Everything else might as well have been reduced to ash by the way he looked at it all. Sighing, Barbara let her head fall back against the side of the matress.

It felt like hours, but was probably just one, before Jack started snoring quietly. Barbara smiled faintly to herself and stood to be sure. As she turned to look at him, she noticed the bag was still hugged to his chest, like a child would hold a stuffed animal. "I hope you find what you're looking for in their...whenever you finally open it." She whispered, gently touching her hand to his. "Because you'll never be okay again if you hide away...if you shut everyone out, even your feelings." Wiping a tear from her eyes, Barbara stepped away again, heading for the door.

Very quietly, she opened it, being hit with the strong scent of rain. It was a long moment that she stood there, watching the rain hit the ground. "You'll be an outcast."


	45. Last Straw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you will hate me? Let's find out!  
> I suggest listening to On The Run from the Alan Wake soundtrack uvu

With that last bit of advice, Barbara closed the door and left Jack alone. She had someone else to check on, after all. She turned on her heel and headed straight for the stairs to the second floor. Michael was gone now from the memorial, probably back in his room, being comforted by Lindsay. The sound of her heartbeat pounded in her ear as she reached the stairs. "Barbara?" Gavin whispered behind her, his head barely peeking out of his room. She looked back at him with a small smile. "Yeah?"

Gavin bit at his lower lip, but stepped outside all the same. "What are you doing? It's way late and the rain's bloody pouring out here. Weren't you in Jack's room?" He inquired, words being drawn out as if he was purposely trying to stall her. "My room's upstairs, so yeah. I mean, Jack just fell asleep and I figured I should leave him alone." Gavin's expression turned dark. "Your room is down here, though...I remember." He muttered, eyes now narrowed. Barbara's smile faded slowly. "You're remembering wrong then. I'm super sure my room is upstairs." She lied.

Gavin left the door open behind him and came closer, careful in his movements. "Barbara...I'm SURE it's down here. You made a whole fuss about being next to Jack and..." He crossed his arms, eyeing her suspiciously. "Please. Barbara, just tell me what's happening. Why are you lying about something so silly?" He pressed further. Barbara tensed, swallowing hard. "Go back to bed, Gavin. I'm just...fixing a problem." This didn't make Gavin budge an inch. "Please." Though he was obviously reluctant, Gavin finally stepped back into his room.

"Don't do anything mental, Barbara." Was the last thing he said before shutting his door and locking it. Barbara clenched her teeth, realizing how hurt Gavin looked. She had no time for sentiment now though, there was a problem to be fixed. All of the problems needed to be fixed. Finally ascending the stairs, the blonde rushed down the path to the correct door. With a steady hand, she reached down into her boot and pulled out her hand gun, glaring the door down. "Here we go..." She whispered, knocking. 

It wasn't long before Monty answered, freezing in place as he saw the gun come into view. "I could yell." He reminded her, eyes wide behind his sunglasses. "I will shoot." She reminded him in turn. "Now, Monty...let's go for a walk. I always loved the rain at night." Without much hesitation, Monty stepped outside his room with his hands up, heading towards the stairs. "Come morning, they'll know. Think about it." Monty muttered lowly, before the cold metal pressed to his neck shut him up. They then went quietly, luckily not interrupted by anyone this time. It was rather late, after all.

After a long walk through the woods, Barbara stopped, forcefully turning Monty around. "I think this is far enough." She whispered, rain continuing to drench her to her bones. "What are yo--" The gun collided with the side of his face, stopping him from finishing his sentence. He cried out in pain, his sunglasses falling to the ground. "Next time...I'll shoot. Don't FUCKING TALK!" Her scream echoed, but they both knew she was too far for the group to hear. "I'm SICK of you! Your fucking bullshit and your fucking comments! I can't STAND IT!" The gun was once again held up, pointed at his forehead.

"I thought it's been my fault all this time...I've been what's killing us inside out...but it wasn't! It ISN'T!" Her body shook with anger, eyes teary, but focused on her target. "You...it's all been you! Kara's death was YOUR fault. The attack on the power plant was YOUR fault. Jack...poor Jack...it's all YOUR. FUCKING. FAULT! You've been the monster hiding in shadows! The poison that's been making us die! And I will kill you...before you drive us all to the edge of the abyss!" Her voice strained, cracking and faltering against the volume of the rain and the wind.

Thunder bellowed, an electrifying feeling coursing through Barbara. "Do you have ANYTHING to say about the torture you've put us through...?" Her voice went weak again as her finger brushed against the trigger. "I'M SORRY!"  
Everything went still all of a sudden in Barbara's head. "Wh...at?" She managed. "I'M FUCKING SORRY! Isn't that what you want to hear?! I'm sorry!" Monty was nearly sobbing, too afraid for his life to do much of anything else. His sunglasses laid shattered beside him, and now Barbara could finally see his eyes. "It isn't my fault that Kara died, or that Caleb turned on us, or that Ryan died and left Jack like this! But if you need to hear that I'm sorry! Then FUCK! I am!" His body shivered and his breath drew thin.

"It's...no one's fault! Please...Barbara!" Monty pleaded, much to Barbara's surprise. She nearly let the gun down, but stood taller instead. "You'll fucking lie about anything, won't you, Monty? You spineless bitch! YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Just as her finger grazed the trigger, though, just as she was going to pull it, something hit her and her world faded to black. Her last thought was how nice it was to lie down.

Light entered her vision again as she came to consciousness. It felt different, though, wherever she was now. Her hand found its way over her eyes to block out the sunrise. Once the brightness felt dimmer and her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was definitely somewhere else. All around her, dead grass grew and there were no trees in sight. "No...no no no....No!" She chanted, crawling forward on her knees. They left her. They actually left her. "No! NO! TAKE ME BACK! TAKE ME BACK!" She screamed until her lungs burned and tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'M...I'M...sorry..."

In the distance, two figures approached her.

Somewhere far away, Lindsay stared out the car window, watching signs pass by. Her gaze left the outside and shifted to Michael. who was driving with the most tormented and serious face she had ever seen him wear. Obviously, this terrified her, for one very...very important reason. Everyone else realized this, too, even Burnie, who was in the other vehicle behind him.  
Michael was leading again.


	46. Can't Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Walking Dead episode tonight has inspired me to continue with one more chapter today ;v;  
> By the way! Once I'm done with all 50 chapters, I might make a video talking about the story! It all depends on if you guys have questions or topics you'd like me to discuss? If you do, please let me know :D

Jack ran his thumb over his pocket calendar, eyeing the day carefully. It was the first of March, another month having passed by and weeks since Barbara was exiled from the group. He missed her more than he had missed anyone in a long time. What killed him the most, though, was not knowing if she was okay or not. Joel made his way over, feet crushing grass rather loudly, and sat beside the bearded man. "Hey..." Was all he said, staring straight forward at the dirt road. Jack didn't respond, merely pocketed the calendar and gently drew Ryan's bag closer.

"Michael says he found something..." Joel suddenly brought up, propping his arms up on his knees. "Some like...fucking address to a place." He continued. With one glance to the side, it was easy to see Jack wasn't going to acknowledge him anytime soon. However, Joel still kept talking, because he knew he had to be listening. "It's a research facility. We're going to head towards there tomorrow." Still nothing. "Funny thing is...it's in the opposite direction of where we've been going so far. Guess you can see it as, uh...trip down memory lane." Silence.

"Fucking hell, Jack. Give me something...please. Everyone's worried shitless about you, we're not sure what to do. You just don't..." Joel trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I understand, really. It's just, you can't go on like this! Michael said you've gotten this way before...he said you'll get over it, but..." His head slowly was raised up and he looked to Jack with concern. "Jack...you're not okay. Obviously you know that, but seriously. Talk about it...I need to know if I can help and you need to stop acting like a fucking child!"

"Okay, we're setting out tomorrow. Jordan, go with Chris and get some firewood. Miles and Monty, go check the traps in the woods. Ray and Gavin, check the fishing traps, bring back anything you can." Michael quickly instructed the group, watching as they went off their separate ways. He paced for a few moments more, but eventually ran short of breath and sat down on a log with a quiet thud. "Michael, you shouldn't work yourself so hard..." Lindsay softly whispered, sitting down on the log across from him. The auburn shrugged as if that was an acceptable response.

"Don't just shrug me off, I'm serious. You're obviously not getting enough sleep...look at you, you're pale and always tired." Her scolding only made Michael react less, finding the dirt on the ground far more interesting. "Michael? Michael! You've been this way for weeks now....maybe you shouldn't be lead--"  
"I'm fine!" He suddenly barked back, standing up. He looked weak on his knees, though, and quickly reclaimed his spot on the log. "I'm...fine. Okay? We just...need to keep moving." He rubbed at his arm, anxiously gnawing at the inside of his cheek.

Lindsay huffed out her frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. "I swear, you never fucking listen. You're worse than you were last time! This tears you apart and you refuse to see it!" She insisted rather harshly. Michael rolled his eyes, but still managed to avoid eye-contact. "I wish you'd fucking trust me. I know what I'm doing, this NEEDS to be done!" Lindsay wasn't convinced in the slightest. "What do you MEAN this needs to be done? You're rushing everything way too much! We need to slow down and you need to rest before something terrible happens!"

Michael let out a cruel laugh, standing again, his hand gripping the side of thir car for support. "You don't understand! The worst has already fucking happened...again and again! I'm rushing us cause we need to go." He tried leaving, but Lindsay quickly followed, pissed as all hell. "This isn't a matter of time! We can afford to slow down!" She shot back, not letting up. Michael stooped and looked back at her. "You don't understand." Was all he told her, rushing off by himself. Lindsay groaned loudly in frustration, stomping off back to the logs.

"I haven't looked in the bag yet. I-I-I can't! It's just...too much." Jack muttered in panic. "You don't have to open it...you don't even have to keep it with you if you don't want." Joel assured him, his hand on Jack's shoulder. The bearded man rapidly shook his head. "Ryan said! He told me! A part of him, it's in here, but! What does that mean? What is it? Why don't I want to fucking know?!" Jack's voice increased in volume and speed, worrying Joel thoroughly. "Relax, Jack. We can deal with that later." Joel's hands were up, trying his best to reassure his friend.

"These things...tend to sort themselves out. Now, Michael's probably wondering where we are. Let's meet back up with the group. Hopefully we got some, uhhh...fucking fish andddd....I dunno, something good. Anything good, really. Can't stand getting just cans of fucking beans all the time." Jack stood, grabbing his stuff and wordlessly following Joel from a safe distance. He didn't want to look in Ryan's bag, but he had felt around it, studying the corners of some sort of object. It was rather large and rectangular, not flimsy, but not too strong, either. One day, he'd find out, but today was not that day.

Back at the now lit fire circle, Michael chugged down some water, breathing unevenly. "Can't stay still...not foreved..." He whispered to himself, after setting down the bottle. "We can't stop now..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, this chapter got short, sorry!


	47. The Past

Michael and Burnie agreed that the safest way to get to the research facility had to be along the route they already took. After all, they knew the lay of the land that way and where concentrations of Rotten were. There was no disagreement, but everyone was met with reluctance. As if things hadn't been hard enough, they practically had to relive the last few months, all for some possibly abandoned research facility. Needless to say, survivors like Miles and Joel protested briefly, but they soon gave up on their words. This was all the hope they had to hold onto, what use was it going farther away from it?

The drive for the most part was silent over the next few days, people staring out the windows with blank expressions and heavy hearts. Jack, sitting in the backseat of the truck bit the inside of his cheek, watching the buildings pass by as they neared another painful location. "Drive around..." Was all he could mutter, body shaking and breath short. Burnie glanced back with a confused expression, but soon the realization hit him. "Jack, we need to take the quickes--"  
"Drive. Around." He was more confident in his words, but it didn't sway Burnie at all.

"It's the quickest route through here...just...close your eyes." Burnie held firm, grip tightening on the steering wheel. Joel, who was sat beside Jack, watched carefully. The way Jack was looking, he knew that it wouldn't end so easily. After all, this was where it all happened, with Ryan and the girl. Joel hated how much Jack lingered on it, but he understood all the same. Anyone could have stopped him, really...but no one did, not even Jack. Perhaps that's why he couldn't open the bag, because he didn't feel like he deserved it. Maybe, though, he couldn't fathom Ryan's death, and if he doesn't open it, Ryan's not dead.

In the RV behind them, Lindsay had her cheek resting against the glass window of the vehicle, her eyes half-shut. Much like Jack, her thoughts turned to the biochemist. She remembered when they first met, how shut away he had seemed, but how easy it was to fluster him. If only it could have stayed that way, the six of them, joking and laughing like it was back then. But people died, they didn't get happy endings or closure. Her eyes landed on Michael, who was driving, and she felt her heart sink. They couldn't go on like this, she knew that best of all.

As minutes passed, Jack fussed more and more, causing a tension to rise in the car. Monty, in the passenger's seat, simply chose to ignore it, but his eyes told a different story. Without his sunglasses, you could see the guilt that ate at him. Just as easily as anyone, he felt he let Ryan let go, down to his own inevitable death. "Please...please...drive around...." Jack quietly begged, now running out of energy. It was awhile until he was just softly sobbing against the car's door, Joel gripping his shoulder in an attempt for comfort.

A few more days passed and as they drove through the heavily wooded area, Jordan found himself lost in thought. He had met them here, he had met her here. And as they went by the grave they all knew too well, he glanced at Miles. He was glaring at the floor, clearly gritting his teeth. It was painful to watch a he struggled to keep calm, undoubtedly fighting his inner demons for dominance. Jordan thought to say something, but it was honestly better not to. "We've been driving awhile..." Chris whispered beside his friend, mindful of Ray and Gavin, who were asleep.

"That's an understatement. It's been about a week now and Michael never stops. I wonder why he's in such a hurry?" Jordan responded, crossing his legs. "You think he's just worried about...ya know?" Chris avoided eye contact, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Someone else dying?" The finished statement caused Jordan to glance at Miles again, seeing the pain he still was in. "Could be. I'm not even sure what the hell we're looking for there, though. I mean, what are the chances they can help at all?" Letting his head fall back against the wall, Jordan sighed.

Another day went on, and finally, instead of following the old path, which would have led to the power plant, Burnie turned. "How much longer are we going?" Gavin muttered against Ray's shoulder. The brunette chuckled deeply, wanting to shrug, but deciding against it. "Can't say I know, Gav. We have to be close by now, though, I mean fuck." The Brit whined, sliding down against his significant other. "Bloody hell. I cannot wait to stretch my legs again!" Ray rolled his eyes, smiling lightly to himself, despite the darker atmosphere. "We'll probably stop soon, we need more supplies. I don't think Michael can go long on an empty stomach."

As night hit, the group agreed to stop for the time being, going against Michael's insistence. Everyone knew he was acting unlike himself, so they outvoted him. In the truck, Burnie, Monty, and Joel slept, the third man snoring softly. Jack, though, couldn't find it in himself to sleep right then. So instead, he finally broke down, hand shakily reaching for a flashlight. With it in his grips, he flipped the sitch, nearly blinding himself. "Mother fucker." He cursed under his breath, clutching Ryan's bag close. Swallowing hard, he unzipped it.

Inside, he found what Ryan had left them. "You fucking...genius..." Tears streamed down his face as he slipped out the contents into his lap. "But...didn't you lose this...back at your lab?" Jack's fingers brushed against the large, heavy book of research on the Rotten that Ryan had compiled for the first three months. "What's...this?" Digging further into it, his hand brushed against something else, and as he pulled it out, it was clear. A photo of Ryan and his dog. "Fuck..." Jack wiped at his face, pocketing the picture and glancing at the research, far too complicated for him to understand.  
At least they were going towards a research facility.


	48. To The Brink

As morning came, the survivors woke one by one. The sun shone through the windows and the breeze was slight. Despite the pleasant weather, the atmosphere felt much darker, giving their current circumstances. Michael sat up straight, staring blankly ahead at the road. They had been travelling more and more south, the opposite direction of the original plan they had agreed to so long ago. He rubbed at his eyes with his hands fisted, trying to wake up. Unlike the others, he didn't sleep much, didn't bother with it. To him it was too risky, though he often dozed off unintentionally. Rubbing at his arm, he shifted in the car seat. Now it was just time to wait.

Soon, everyone was awake, and taking advantage of the none existent population of Rotten around the area, they met outside the vehicles. "So. We don't have far to go, maybe a couple days worth by car and if we don't stop much." Burnie explained, looking over the map. A small area had been circled in red marker, the research facility. Michael had his arms crossed, watching from a short distance away, Lindsay stood beside him. "I know it's been a lot of driving, and we're a bit low on supplies, but...we're almost there." The brunette added with a small smile.

Joel sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "There's still no chance anyone's there." He muttered darkly. "What do you want us to do? We have no other ideas right now." Monty shot back with a cold stare. "I didn't mean we should do something else, alright? I'm just saying it's bullshit thinking that there's gonna be some kinda hope there! A cure isn't possible!" The older man glared back, causing Monty to shrink. "I know...shit doesn't look good, but...we don't know where else to go." His voice was small now, his eyes exposed and his entirety vulnerable. "We need some hope right now."

After a moment of silence, Michael stepped forward to the center of the group, pulling his beanie down his head. Everyone noted the pale expression he had, the dark bags under his eyes, and the way he shook. "We leave in half an hour. Take a look around for anything useful, but don't go too far." With shaky limbs, he returned to leaning against the RV, arms crossed tightly around his chest. Lindsay eyed him worryingly, but said nothing. It was clear just how exhausted he was, but no one dared to approach him about it.

Not even five minutes later, Lindsay wandered over to Ray and Gavin, giving them a small wave. "Hey, Lindsay!" Ray greeted her cheerfully. Gavin did much the same, though he was a lot more quiet about it. "How you guys holding up?" She asked as she took a seat acoss from them. "Good." Gavin answered, his soft smile calming her nerves. "So what brings you to us? I figured you'd be talking to someone else..." Ray questioned, ending his statement with a shrug. "About that...listen, you guys have noticed, right? Michael, he's..." Her voice trailed off as she stared down at the dirt. "Yeah, we have. It's like before, but...way worse." Ray rubbed at his neck, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah, exactly. I'm not sure what's up." With a small sigh, she glanced back up. "All I know is that he doesn't listen to me, we just end up arguing. Shit's really bad. I knew him taking back over wasn't going to be good, but he's practically killing himself right now." She explained rather briefly. "So...I was wondering if you two could talk to him? Maybe he'll listen to his friends more than his girlfriend." She looked at them with bright, pleading eyes, but Gavin and Ray looked back solemnly. "Lindsay..." Ray started, once again rubbing at his neck. "I haven't really spoken to him since...the Power Plant."

Gavin bit at his lip, nodding. "Me either. He...accused Ray and..." The Brit stopped talking, shifting uneasily. "Long story short, there's no way in hell that he'll listen to us. You've been the only thing he's cared about for a fucking long time. If he doesn't listen to you, he won't be listening to anyone." Ray looked at her apologetically, but for the most part, Lindsay didn't react. She felt her face fall, her eyes unblinking as she stared at them. This couldn't be happening, she wasn't going to let Michael fall apart before her eyes, but she had no choice. He was visibly exhausted and weakened, but nothing she ever did helped him.

Michael opened the truck door, counting the supplies he had stored there. Everything was still there and there was enough rations for a couple days. However, he had a sinking feeling Joel might be right, that there'll be no one there. He inhaled sharply, suddenly unsure of himself. However, he knew there was no backing out. This was their last hope, the last hope for anyone in the group and he had a duty to keep them alive. Even if that meant pushing himself to brink, he had to get there in time. "Time to go!" He shouted, watching as everyone stood and made their way to the vehicles. With a deep breath, he closed the truck door and made his way to the RV.  
"We have two more days of driving, we'll only be stopping once for the entire drive. Let's go!" Burnie got into the truck, and both men started driving.


	49. Fatigue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the next chapter to be pretty long  
> I can't believe this is down to the end...Just wanted to remind you, if you have any questions or topics you want me to go over in a video, please leave them in the comments c:

Along the horizon, the sun rose, beams of light passing through the leaves of trees. They were only a day away now, the research facility seemingly a mountain away. Michael had finally allowed Lindsay to drive the RV, but he forced himself to keep awake as he stared at the road ahead. His eyes were focused and narrowed, mind mostly unreadable as he remained silent. Still, there was an undeniable sadness to him as he drew his knees close to his chest. There was sadness down to the way he wrapped his arms around himself, loosely, but tentative. It was as if he was bearer of a great secret no one else could know.

Lindsay looked out of the corner of her eye every few minutes, noting how little he seemed to move, or how often he'd inhale sharply. He looked sick. Pale skin, torn lips, dark eyes, and slight shaking. It was so god damn clear, but every time someone would even bring it up, he shot them down with a killer's glare. At this point, Lindsay was almost certain he was hiding something and that the guilt has caused this. Even with her certainty, however, it was no time to question him. While she felt herself drifting away from the one person that kept her sane, it still wasn't the right time. So, with all that was left of her, she held on tightly to the idea that one day, he'd be okay again.

Jack craned his neck to see around Monty's seat and to get a glimpse of the path they had been going on. However, it wasn't quite successful, so he slumped back down, earning Joel's attention. "You, uh, alright there, Jack?" He asked rather quietly. Jack flinched, cleared his throat, and nervously continued to glance at his friend. "Yeah. Fine. You?" His sentence was choppy, response coming off as forced. "Uhhh...I'm doing good." Joel raised an eyebrow, but left him well enough alone. "Are you...sure you're alright?" He suddenly pressed further with a hand tangled in his hair. Jack simply chuckled.

"Joel...I'm fine." He assured, shifting slightly in his seat. The older man huffed, shaking his head. This, of course, was not the same Jack he had come to known this last month or so. There was some glint of hope in his eye again, something he had lost after Ryan, and yet. "You're acting...odd. I'm not sure what's up, but if you, uh, want to talk." He cleared his throat, looking off to the side. "Well, I'm right here." Jack only smiled in reply, content with his friend's support. He knew he must have seemed abnormally happy, but that was because he was. In his hands, he held onto Ryan's last words, his entire life, in essence.

He had been scared, in simple terms. That only made him human, however. Humans got scared.

In the RV, things were still silent as always, Michael and Lindsay beyond arguing. Now, they sat in never-ending silence, driving until no one could stand it anymore. In the back, Gavin stretched his legs as far as he could, groaning at the lackof satisfaction. "Bollocks. This bloody thing is too cramped!" He openly complained, stuttering an apology when he accidentally kicked Jordan's foot. "Jesus, man, calm down." Ray teased from beside Gavin. "We don't even have far to go, I mean, we're probably a day away or some shit like that. I mean, I don't know for sure, but we could ask Lindsay."

Gavin shrugged weakly, sliding back and down against the RV's seat. "I just wanna get off this deathtrap." He whined, much like a kid would to their mother. Ray rolled his eyes, now turning his attention to the other three. "Hey, guys...what do you think's got Michael so...ya know?" His voice was low as he leaned forward on his knees. Miles sat up a bit, having stayed mainly quiet and still the entirety of the drive. "Maybe the pressure's just getting to him? I know I'd hate being in charge of this many lives." Jordan offered up. Chris nodded in agreement quickly. "Plus, you guys were talking about how he was like this before? Right?"

Ray sighed, rubbing at the side of his face. "Yeah and no. He was pretty bad, like a total jackass dictator, but..." The brunette trailed off, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. "He's gone mental. He was NEVER this bad before. I mean, look at him!" Gavin's voice was a bit louder than the others and they all started making hand gestures at him. "Pipe down! He's right fucking there!" Miles reminded him darkly. "If he's as off the hinge as we're thinking, then he'd totally go ahead and kill us for this." No one spoke for awhile. "Now, I have a question. What are we going to be dealing with if..." Jordan shifted uneasily for a second. "If what?"  
"If there's nothing there."

Suddenly, the vehicle stopped, fast. Gavin practically was flung from his seat, but managed to be held in place by Ray at the last second. "The fuck was that?" Ray shouted, standing up. That's when he saw Michael, coughing violently and Lindsay freaking out. "Michael?" Jordan stood warily with Ray, taking very slow steps closer. Michael's coughing only got worse as seconds passed. It escalated to the point where he fell over, Lindsay immediately kneeling aside him, constantly muttering something. "Shit! What's wrong?!" Ray rushed over, now able to see a pile of vomit in front of Michael's seat, probably the reason Lindsay stopped.

Jordan looked straight forward, noticing Burnie's truck had made a u-turn and was now parked in front of the RV. Just as he thought to go get the medical supplies kept in the truck, however, Michael's coughing stopped and everything grew quiet. A few tears fell along Lindsay's cheeks, but for the most part, everything seemed fine. "I told you...I told you, you fucking idiot! You're WORKING YOURSELF TO DEATH!" Her scream echoed, but nothing was given as reply. "I told you..." The few tears were now joined by others as she openly sobbed over the barely breathing Michael.


	50. Til Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...  
> You might want to prepare some sad music, if you really want to feel this ending.

"Well, what do we do?"  
"How is that even a question! He's in no condition to keep moving!"  
"We're almost there, to the research facility, they're bound to have some kinda medicine?"  
"If it's NOT filled to the brim with Rotten."  
"Shut up, Heyman, that's not the issue here."  
"Don't I have a say?" Everyone turned to look at Michael, who someone managed to be even more pale. Ray pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You lost your fucking say when you decided to be a dumbass. Now rest up." He shot back harshly. "I'm...I'm still leader, asshole." Michael stood shakily, descending the few steps that led to the outside of the RV.

"You're not fit to be the leader, okay? Now we're deciding this as a group." Burnie explained. With a huff, Michael continued coming forward, joining the circle of survivors. "Fine, if I can't actually give a decision, just let me fucking speak. We're a day away, it's not THAT fucking far! I...I can make it and we can get me...treated." His breath was running out, but he refused to move at all. "Like I've been saying, you're a fucking mess, we can't just keep driving!" Ray stood his ground firmly, arms crossed as he stared down Michael. "What fucking difference does it make if we stay here or keep fucking driving?! Either way, I'm still sick and not getting more rest either fucking way! So we can sit around twiddling our fucking thumbs until I DIE...or we keep going." Silence fell over the crowd.

Undoubtedly, everyone agreed he had a valid point. "If anywhere's gonna have medicine, it's the research facility. We're so god damn close now, let's just...go. Michael's clearly not gonna get better sitting around in an RV, so what'd the point be?" Burnie added, rubbing at the back of his neck. Monty sighed in frustration, shaking his head. "I hate to admit it, but continuing seems like the best option." The others muttered in agreement, much to Ray's dismay. "So, I guess we're having an unscheduled break...take five and then we're out of here. I want someone watching Michael at all times." Burnie then wandered off, leaving the group to themselves.

A minute or two later, while Michael sat in the RV, Gavin watching him closely, Lindsay entered. She flashed her perfect smile at Gavin, sitting across from the other two. "Hey, Gav. Mind if I talk alone to Michael?" The Brit mumbled something, stood, and left without much hesitation. Now the inside felt tense, uncomfortable even. Michael looked up through tired eyes and heavy lids. He looked worse by the minute if that was even possible. "Listen...I want to talk. I don't even know how to start this, I mean...everything feels different since it all started, but...well, I mean, it can't be too different?" She sighed, twirling a strand of hair with her finger.

"You're destroying yourself and I can't...I can't deal with that. So I want to break up." Her face was serious, but with closer inspection, her eyes were watering. "If you ever figure out what's actually important, then maybe...one day...but..." With all her willpower, she stood, holding in her tears. "To me, you're now just another person." Turning on her heel, she left, not even letting Michael speak. Granted, he wouldn't have been able to anyway. He sat there, utterly shocked as he realized the gravity of it all. "Fuck...no..." Harshly, he slammed his head against the metal wall of the RV. The sound echoed.

Then, a different sound alerted Michael, an unrecognizable voice from outside. "Shit...is that?" He stood weakly, but made it to the door, stumbling outside in time to see two guys not very far away. "We're friendly, honest! So...can we please put the weapons down?" The one said. He looked to be all muscles, but he couldn't have been older than twenty-five. The guy next to him, was smaller by muscle comparison, but he had glasses and striking blue eyes. "How do we know you're not going to pull the trigger on us as soon as we lower ours?" Monty shouted, finger grazing the trigger. "How about...we get to know eachother a bit?" Muscles suggested.

"Fine. What're your names?" Burnie asked, easing up very slightly. "I'm Blaine. Blaine Gibson." He grinned, waiting quietly for his companion to speak up. "Kdin." Was all he said, obviously very careful in this kind of situation. Michael took a deep breath and stumbled forward, ending up behind the others. Monty relaxed slightly, introducing everyone at a quick pace. "And that's Michael. He's...really sick right now." The brunette finished, gun barely raised by then. "Sick? Well...maybe we could hel out? See, we're just a bit aways at a research facility. Kdin and some others are working on vaccine for the Rotten virus." Blaine explained, immediately peeking everyone's interest.

"The research facility? Isn't that like...a day away?" Jordan brought up, pulling out the map. "It's maybe a few hours away, not a day. You must be using an outdated map, since it was relocated about a year ago." Kdin finally spoke, the only one with a gun still raised above their hip. "It's honestly not that bad of a drive." Everyone looked to eachother, making eye contact for brief seconds. "You're...working on a vaccine?" Jack asked gently as he stepped forward. The two men nodded out of sync. "We're not getting that far, but it's only cause we don't know much about the Rotten." Blaine offered with a chuckle. Jack reached for Ryan's backpack, which was slung over his shoulder, and hurriedly pulled out the research.

With it now in hand, he rushed up to them and offered it to Kdin. "This was...a dear friend of ours..." Jack nervously bit at his lip. "His research...he left it with me after he died." Joel almost audibly gasped, finally understanding. "Really?" Kdin took the book with intrigue, flipping through pages and glancing at the notes and diagrams. "This...is phenomenal." He breathed out, glancing at Blaine. "Please...use it to make the vaccine." Jack whispered, tearing up. Kdin nodded, carefully putting the research into his pack. "You guys have to come back with us, we have supplies and, and good people!" Blaine insisted. "We can get our car and you guys can follow us!"

(Ending 1)

Michael pushed his way through the crowd, staring at Kdin. This was his moment of decision, no matter what the other's thought. "Do you really think you can make a vaccine? That will stop the virus?" He asked weakly. "Just the virus in those who haven't turned yet. After that, there's no saving them. However, to answer your question, yes. There's an incredibly high probability that I now how everything I need to keep us all alive. It's still your choice to come with us." Kdin waited for a long moment, before Michael even thought to respond. "Alright."  
As they all piled into the cars, he sat looking outside the window. Maybe, there'd be enough time.

(Ending 2)

Michael pushed his way through the crowd, staring down the two men. With a hard swallow, he looked again, to Lindsay and to the others. He knew what he must do, for their sake. "Can we...stop somewhere really quick? Before we go to the research facility?" Blaine shared a look with Kdin and they both nodded. "Sure, I don't see any harm in that. It's not too far away, right? Sure, it's still pretty early, but...we want to get back before night falls." Blaine rambled slightly, scratching at his nose. "It's not that far from here, I promise."

Michael had Burnie stop the RV and soon, all the other vehicles stopped as well. As he tried to stand, Burnie went to help him, but he refused. Gavin and Ray stared out the window with pained expressions as realization struck them. Michael stumbled his way to the RV door, opening it and nearly falling to the ground immediately after. However he managed to stay on his feet, staring down the building not too far from him. Burnie recognized the place, but didn't know the significance, other than he knew that's where he met Chris and Brandon. Lindsay sat beside Ray and Gavin, clearly confused.

Jack got out of the truck and shouted to Michael, gaining his attention. He shook his head, tears building up. "You don't have to...!" Was all Jack could manage, his voice cracking at the end. Michael mouthed 'I do'. "What's...going on?" Lindsay asked quietly, startled as Gavin began to cry. "This is...where Geoff died." Ray muttered darkly, holding Gavin close for comfort. Lindsay turned to watch Michael again, heart rate going through the roof as she watched him stumble towards the Target. "Someone should go with him, right?"  
"He needs to do this alone." Ray insisted.

As Michael entered the building, through the back, he made his way to the front of the store, carefully checking for Rotten around every corner. He knew it should be empty, but there was obviously no certainty. His breath grew labored as he rounded another corner, the one he remembered running past when he escaped with Jack and Ryan. Then, he finally saw the shelves shoved poorly against the door, more a health hazard than anything. Holding his breath and swallowing hard, he turned his gaze to the left, where what remained of Geoff stayed.

"Hey..." Michael whispered, kneeling in front of the corpse, or rather, the skeleton with remnants of flesh. "It's been...awhile. Hasn't it?" He asked, setting his supplies down next to him. "I had to come back, though. After all these months, I never could forget you after all." Tears ran down his cheeks and he found it hard to speak. "You...were my motivation, even when things fell to shit. I know you wanted Jack to lead, and to be a good one, but he couldn't. Don't be mad, he just wasn't..." A coughing fit cut him off, but after a few moments, he regained control. "When we lost Ryan, I thought everything was over. He was gone just like that. You never really got to know him too well, but...in the end, he was a good guy."

"Lindsay...we fought over her, but it was childs play. Fucking stupid. I'm sorry I couldn't save him like you wanted. But...after that...I was away from the group...and..." His voice gave out as he found himself openly sobbing. Wiping at his eyes, Michael struggled to continue. "I'm fucking bit, Geoff. I've been bit for more than a month...there's no more time for me..." Michael's voice was soft and strained, his body shivering. "I didn't tell anyone, cause...I was just too scared...they needed a leader and after Ryan...it didn't feel right." Michael sobbed again, hiding his face in his elbow.

"But..." He started again, wiping at his nose. "They'll be okay now. We met some guys and they have a plan for a vaccine. I...I won't make it that long, I know better. Fucking christ I just wish. I wish I fucking could go with them..." Slowly, he reached for his gun, running his thumb over the cool metal. His skin burned compared to it. "Fuck, Geoff...I just wish things could've been different. For you...for Kerry and Gus and Matt and Arryn and Ryan and Barbara...I wish there were happy endings..." The gun was raised to his head, Michael violently shaking now with anger and tears.

"I just...I want them safe. Gavin, Ray, Jack, Burnie, Joel, Chris, Monty, Miles, Jordan, and....Lindsay." He grew silent for a long moment. "I'm scared, Geoff...what's it feel like? To die?" There was no response, of course. "Is it numb? Cause if it is...I'd prefer it to hurt..."

Outside, Lindsay paced frantically. "We should check on him. He's been gone way too long!" Ray shook his head. "He needs this. He needs closure because he never had it." He pointed out darkly. And that's when a loud shot echoed.

Gavin sobbed hard when they found Michael's body inside, but no one cried harder than Lindsay, who was collapsed on the ground. "Why! WHY!" Ray stepped forward slowly, kneeling beside the body. He held back his tears as best he could, but they continued to fall down his face. "He found his closure." Was all he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits Music: The Bleeding (Acoustic Version)  
> Special Thanks To:  
> xCabooseRTRvB  
> BlackberryTeapot  
> FinnyFrost  
> Ignite  
> Cryopheonix_Kenai  
> RogueGhost  
> ZombieSnowWhite  
> Agent_Washington  
> IsolationandTea  
> Raichu_Rocks  
> Daynasauruss  
> MoonlitNight  
> RockinJanelle  
> Squrile  
> The 43 Guests who left kudos  
> As well as  
> Going-in-cakeless on tumblr  
> And my best friend Kitfox who listened to me while I rambled about ideas  
> And to anyone who may have been reading along, but never showed themselves  
> And to the Walking Dead for being my inspiration
> 
> Thank you. This will probably remain to be my longest work of fiction for a very long time, reaching over 100k words and containing four separate works as well as a biography. I honestly can't believe it's over now, after all this time of working on it. I'm sorry I didn't make it as long as I originally intended, but I hope this is ample for your Zombie AU needs uvu
> 
> Please do tell me your thoughts in the comments, even if you've never commented before, but of course, no pressure! And if you have questions like (What happened to Edgar?) or things you want me to discuss like (Please talk about Barbara's story arc) please leave those in the comments as well.
> 
> If I get enough, I will make a video and will post a link in these end notes later on answering everything. If I don't, I will still answer, just in the comments instead.
> 
> Once again, thank you, all of you. It's been a wild ride and if you cried at the second ending, I did too heh.


End file.
